


Hiro: Prometheus Complex

by eri_quin



Category: Big Hero 6 (2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, F/M, Genderbending
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-28
Updated: 2017-03-26
Packaged: 2018-03-26 05:13:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 9
Words: 23,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3838432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eri_quin/pseuds/eri_quin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hiro graduated high school at 13 and took 3 years to travel the world. At 16, she returns to San Fransokyo different. Older and wearier, how will this Hiro still end up being a hero when all she wants is to be left alone? She sought experience and found too much. Her brother wants to help and her boss wants to give her light. Can "Prometheus" live? </p>
<p>Fem!Hiro AU, and remake of movie.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Step Out Into the World

 

The Hamada household was quiet. It was nighttime, so it shouldn't be such a surprise it was. But there was something in the air that felt stifling.

Hiro Hamada hadn't expected to have woken up so suddenly, and to this stifling quiet.

As her 13 year old self walked down the stairs and found herself where the living room and kitchen squished together, she found her aunt crying at the table. Having been raised by Aunt Cassandra since the age of 3, when her parents had died, Hiro had always been uncomfortable and upset whenever she saw her Aunt Cass crying or distressed in any way.

For a minute, Hiro sat on the stairs and watched her, slightly hidden and using the darkness to not be seen. When Aunt Cass finally wiped her eyes and headed to the door on that floor that led to her bedroom, Hiro waited for a few moments before she snuck further into the room and looked at what her aunt had been crying over.

As she quickly skimmed over the letter, she realized that they were having financial problems. That they were having very  _serious_  financial problems. For a moment, she thought about her acceptance letter to San Fransokyo Institute of Technology.

She hadn't initially wanted to go. Hiro remembered all too well the bullying and how hard it was for her to connect with the others her age, all through every school year. But her brother, Tamadashi, had convinced her it would be different at SFIT. That it wouldn't be the same as all the years she attended school before.

So Hiro had secretly applied to the university and had gotten in.

Aunt Cass and Tamadashi had both been so very proud of her for graduating high school early, so she thought she could make them happy by attending Tamadashi's "nerd school." But even with a grant, both she and Tamadashi lived there and the café was run only by Aunt Cass. While money for school might not be a problem, both her and her brother's time would be too occupied with school to help Aunt Cass deal with the money problems or go around finding a way to pay off the debts and loans, while also still living there and sucking up expenses themselves.

Something had to be done.

That's why, in the morning after Tamadashi had gone to school, she faced Aunt Cass.

"Aunt Cass, I want to work here," she said stubbornly. "I don't want to be paid. I just want to help around for a while." A while meaning however long it took for Aunt Cass to gather enough money to get them out of money trouble.

Aunt Cass blinked and stared at her confusion. "I would rather you go to college, sweetie."

Hiro frowned. "I can't…We can't afford that right now."

Aunt Cass caught on and sighed, giving her a small smile. "You know then? Sweetie, you really are too smart for your own good."

But Hiro stayed firm, and so her aunt reluctantly had her helping around.

* * *

Besides helping around the café, Hiro knew she had to do something else. There had to be something she could do to help get things paid…

Her eyes alighted on the various gadgets around her computer desk, things she'd made over the years. The tech magazine was next for her to see, complete with Alistair Krei on the cover and talk of Krei Tech Industries headlines on it.

If she could get an in at Krei Tech, somehow get hired, money would be no problem. Only, she now had the problem of somehow getting hired, when she was just not only fresh from high school, but just 13 years of age.

Her eyes darted around her desk, eying each of the inventions lying around. Finding her best one, she grabbed it and darted out of the attic bedroom she shared with her brother, jumping down the stairs and rushing through the café (Hiro had unfortunately been forced to work only a little, and had been shooed away from the café practically as soon as she started helping out).

"Bye, Aunt Cass!" she said quickly, already almost out the door.

She didn't hear her aunt's reply, and had traveled to outside, where she had to find a way to Krei Tech Industries' building. On the way there, she nervously rehearsed her speech. She hated speeches and talking in front of crowds or important people for something incredibly significant. But the practice did serve to take her mind off of the impending meeting.

In her distraction, she made it to Krei Tech in no time. Nervously entering through the front doors, she went to the receptionist desk, where a woman sitting there watched her closely as Hiro walked closer.

"May I help you?" she asked professionally, and Hiro took a deep breath.

"I'd like to speak to someone in, uh," Hiro peered at the sign nearby, "Research and Development. I have a, um, invention I'd like to pitch."

She frowned. "Do you have an appointment?"

Hiro winced. "No, I don't," she muttered. "Can I make one here?"

The receptionist turned to her computer. "The Director of R&D personally oversees all the pitches, and he's a busy man. If you want to see him, you're lucky. There's an opening at the end of this week at 4 pm."

"I'll take it," Hiro said hurriedly.

So Hiro was able to set up her appointment, and now thankfully had time to prepare herself more adequately for the meeting. But she still returned to the Lucky Cat Café with a dejected air, wishing she had gotten something productive done.

"Why the down face?" her aunt asked as Hiro walked into the café, smiling gently at her.

Looking around, Hiro plopped down at an empty booth and her aunt joined her. Recounting her latest task, Aunt Cass gave her a reassuring pat on the hand.

"You've got an appointment, so that's got to mean something. Just get yourself prepared and you'll be fine. I just wonder if this Krei Tech pitch you want to do has anything to do with the money problems I have to deal with," she gave Hiro a knowing look.

Hiro couldn't help looking guilty, so her Aunt Cass sighed.

"Hiro, I just want you to go to college, alright? I can take care of things," Aunt Cass said firmly.

"I already applied and got accepted to Tadashi-nii's school," Hiro revealed, causing Aunt Cass to be surprised. "Just let me help, especially around the café. I'll work something out with the school –focus on gen ed for now and get those done online, or something."

Though Aunt Cass still looked reluctant, this time she agreed to let Hiro actually help out for real.

"Just as long as you make sure to keep up with your university work," Aunt Cass warned her. "And…don't tell Tadashi, okay? He doesn't need to know and trouble himself with this."

Hiro definitely agreed with that. Her brother should just focus on his own studies, and not have to find out and worry about all this as well.

She could tackle this problem herself.

* * *

It wasn't long until it was time for her appointment and while Hiro was still nervous, she wasn't as panicked as she had been before. She'd had time to practice and rehearse, and even tweak her invention a bit. Heck, she'd even clued Tadashi into what she was planning, though she hadn't told him anything about the money problems their family was having. He didn't have to worry about that.

"You'll do fine," Tadashi said in amusement, trying to reassure her.

"Tadashi," she glared at him, before just pouting.

He walked over to her and sat down on her bed next to her, ruffling her hair. "I'm still not sure why you're so adamant on doing this, but I know they'd be crazy not to want your invention or hire you. My little imouto is probably the smartest person in the world after all."

Grinning up at her older brother, she launched herself at him and hugged him tightly. "Thanks, Tadashi."

His support had always meant everything to her, and if he thought she could do this, then she could.

"Come on, I'll give you a ride and wait it out for you in the lobby, while you do your thing," Tadashi lifted her up and playfully carried her down to the café, where after waving bye to their aunt, they headed to Tadashi's moped.

After they got on and he started it, Hiro hung on tight to her brother as he started speeding through the streets and to their destination. Only, once they were finally there, Hiro didn't want to let go of Tadashi and could only stare at the building.

"Silly imouto," Tadashi rolled his eyes, and got off the moped, bringing her with him. "If you make me drag you there, then you can bet I will."

She did finally get off him, but she looked up at him with insecure eyes and one of those "sad puppy" looks, and Tadashi practically melted.

"But Tadashi-nii," she murmured, and he knew she was really worried. She only ever used that attachment when she was really worried or upset, or with Aunt Cass.

His face softened and he pulled her into a tight hug, kissing the top of her head.

"Hiro-chan," he reciprocated her affectionate name-calling. "You will be fine. I know you will. If you don't believe in yourself, believe in me.  _I_  believe in you."

Hiro gave him a small smile and nodded, and then they were walking into the building together. After watching her brother find a seat, she walked to the receptionist again.

"I have an appointment at 4 with the R&D Director," Hiro quickly said and the receptionist glanced at her, recognizing her from the other day.

"I'll page his office to let them know you're here. Go to Floor 23, the double doors at the end of the hallway. His secretary will let you in."

"Ok, thanks."

Why did the walk there (or even just to the elevator) seem like she was walking to her execution?

She glanced over to her brother who gave her a thumbs up and a grin, making her relax a bit. She finally reached one of the elevators and stepped in, pressing the number 23. While she waited on the elevator, she kept remembering her brother's loving support, and slowly built up her confidence.

She could do this.

At least, that's what she told herself as she stepped out of the elevator and walked down the hallway. At the end of it, the hallway opened up to bigger space, where the secretary had her desk to the side and was working.

"Hiro Hamada?" the secretary asked, without even looking at her.

Hiro swallowed nervously. "Yes, that's me."

"Go right in. Mr. Alexander is waiting for you."

So, the moment of truth. Hiro took a deep breath, before she opened the doors and slipped inside, quickly closing the doors behind her.

"I'm sorry, young lady, are you lost? I have a 4 o'clock appointment coming in, so my secretary can help you out," a no-nonsense kind of voice said, and she turned to see a middle-aged man sitting behind a huge desk, his salt and pepper hair neatly combed back.

"Um, I am your 4 o'clock," Hiro said, trying not to let her nervousness show.

The R&D Director furrowed his eyebrows. "Are you Hiro Hamada?"

At Hiro's nod, Mr. Alexander frowned. "Young lady, I don't appreciate my time being wasted. I have more important things to do than to listen to kids."

Hiro nearly shrunk back, but then her brother's words flashed through her head.

" _I believe in you."_

"Please, Alexander-san," she stood up straight, using the honorific respectfully like her brother taught her to. "Humor me. I swear I'm not trying to waste your time and I won't. I really did come here to pitch an invention and I know it's going to be one you'll be interested in."

"Well, at least you're not here to play games and honestly have an invention to pitch," his frown lightened. "But I hope it  _will_  be some sort of amazing invention, or else my time will have still been wasted. Go on, I'll humor you for a bit."

Hiro, remembering her brother and his words again, calmed herself and held up a wrist, showing off the band around it and which held some kind of mechanical attachment.

"This is what I call a mini player," at his uninterested look, she hurried up and pressed a button, conjuring up a greenish, transparent 3D projection of a piano. It garnered more interest from him by the look on his face, which gave her more confidence. "Through it, several instruments are programmed and the user can play an instrument without having to actually carry the actual one around."

To demonstrate, she "pressed" a few keys on the holographic piano, which played the notes. She pressed another button on the mini player's surface plate, making the holopiano disappear. Instead, a guitar flickered into being, and anchored its proximity to her through the mini player around her wrist. She strummed a few chords, with the holographic guitar already pre-tuned.

"Of course," she continued. "It'll probably never sound as good as the real thing, but a musician can appreciate it as something easy to carry around and be able to play their preferred instrument whenever, wherever. That's not also including the composers, who could write up a song and actually have a way of hearing how it sounds, when they don't have any available instruments or equipment or paper to jot down the musical notes. There's a playback available too, so they can play a few notes already and have them played back to see the result."

She demonstrated that with the guitar, before switching back to the piano and pulling up a holographic screen above it, to show that she could also have the exact musical notes displayed at the same time as she played, showing which notes she was using.

When she was done, she stopped and looked at him, waiting for his response.

"That's…" she refrained from biting her lip, anxious to hear what he had to say. "Really brilliant. The music industry would be eager to get this spread around," he stood up and walked towards her, eyeing the holograms.

He reached out and touched the holopiano, and the key's note he touched sounded loudly. "What price were you thinking of selling this for?"

"Actually, I was hoping it would be enough to get me hired here," she said hesitantly.

He looked at her in surprise. "How old are you?"

"I'm 13," she answered, hoping that wouldn't be something that would mess up her chances.

"Instead of working, you should focus on school, Miss Hamada," he frowned, though it was mostly thoughtful this time.

"I know, I know," she couldn't help sounding exasperated. "I'll do school too. I already talked to SFIT, and they'll work with me on this."

"SFIT? You're a university student?" he was surprised again, and she realized that he probably thought she was either a junior high or high school student. Her seifuku school uniform she was wearing probably didn't help, but it was the only thing she owned that looked professional or wasn't casual.

She blushed slightly. "I graduated high school a few months ago, and got accepted to SFIT."

"That's impressive," he murmured. "Truthfully, your age wouldn't really be an issue. We'd hire you here in a second, for an invention like this, and especially –like I'm guessing –when you have probably even more inventions at your disposal, and you're more than capable of making more impressive things."

At her embarrassed nod, he went on to say, "It's your experience. It would be more welcome for you to have gained more experience out in the world, especially work-wise, but also in the more than likely event that you'd be in charge of a group, of whom will probably have due issue with your age and won't be as welcoming or willing to work under a young lady such as yourself. Even if we were to hire you anyway and force the group under your command to listen, resentment will build up and who knows what treatment you'll be faced with still."

At her downcast look, Mr. Alexander still had something else to add. "But perhaps if you were to work with them distantly…perhaps through emails and the like…You could build up a rapport, earn their respect…Maybe in three years' time, while working in this way and gaining experience on your own through other means, you could be officially introduced and inducted into the company."

Hiro was more than fine with that and told him so. He then went back to her invention.

"We can officially work out the deal with your guardian, but I'd like to propose a 10% royalty, in which it could expire in also three years' time, and we can renegotiate the terms of the patent license alongside your employment then."

"I'm okay with that. You can talk to my aunt at the Lucky Cat Café," Hiro said.

"Why don't you write down the address here, as well as your contact information?" he suggested, handing her a piece of paper. She was surprised that he was personally taking down her information, instead of having her give it to his secretary, which further made her feel that he was definitely taking her seriously. "We'll talk details at your café, with your guardian present."

It was with a feeling of success and accomplishment that she left Mr. Alexander's office then, happily rushing to meet her brother, who knew by her excited face and happy countenance that she'd done it.

* * *

Two weeks later and Hiro had already started her semi-employment as a 'consultant' in the Research and Development division as a whole, patented and licensed out her mini player (rename pending), and was setting up her classes at SFIT for online courses. But something was still bothering her…

"Come now, Hiro, you have that 'Something is nagging me' look on your face. Tell me," Aunt Cass huffed.

Hiro looked at her sheepishly, taking out the castella she'd been working on. Her work in the café had been relegated to baking and cooking, since she could only spend so much time out there with customers, before she began feeling uncomfortable. Lucky for Aunt Cass though, Hiro's involvement spiced things up at the café, since the young girl was additionally cooking traditional Japanese desserts to add to the menu.

"I was thinking about something Alexander-san said," Hiro admitted. "He said it would be best if I gained some experience."

"Right, I remember you telling me about that, when you told me all about the meeting," Aunt Cass remembered. "Well, you're starting now, aren't you? Working around the café?"

Hiro was quiet for a moment, startling and worrying Aunt Cass.

"I don't think that's enough."

Aunt Cass turned from the croissants she was buttering up, to look at her niece in surprise.

Hiro rubbed the back of her neck. "I think I'd like to really explore myself and the world. I think…I think I want to travel. Travel everywhere, that is."

That made Aunt Cass have to put down everything she was holding and sit down. She looked at Hiro faintly.

"This is a big decision, Hiro. Are you sure this is something you really want to do?"

Hiro nodded adamantly. "It is. And I asked Alexander-san about it, hypothetically of course, and he said that while some airlines would allow me to travel around, there would be some restrictions and I'd need to have an adult pick me up at the airports –but he said if I was serious, he could arrange that part and pay for the airline tickets. You would just have to fill out a form with my information."

Aunt Cass stared at her for a moment, before shaking her head. "You've always been headstrong and independent for your age. You're only 13…and yet you sound so much older," she said sadly.

Hiro just smiled sadly back.

Aunt Cass sighed. "Well, call up Mr. Alexander and make that 'hypothetical' inquiry reality, I suppose."

Now all Hiro had to do was inform her older brother.

* * *

"It's no surprise you really like working with the Robotics Division the most," Tadashi remarked as he looked over the work Hiro was eagerly pouring over. "Now that you've been dabbling in bot-fighting so much."

Hiro pouted at him. It wasn't her fault that, since a little before graduating high school, she'd really gotten into and become taken with bot-fighting. She was even starting to bet as well, though she'd rather not tell Tadashi about that.

But bot-fighting was  _so much fun_.

Catching sight of her passport on her desk, she discreetly moved it out of view. She was reminded of the news she had been stalling on telling Tadashi, who would protest severely and be his usual overprotective self.

"Tadashi-nii," she said quietly, which caught his attention, especially since she'd used an affectionate attachment.

"Yes, Hiro?" he asked, a sinking feeling entering his gut.

"I need to tell you something," she said nervously. And then she just basically blurted out what she was going to do, and that she was leaving next week. All the while, his face grew more stony the more she talked.

When she finished, he crossed his arms. "Absolutely not," he said firmly. "You're too young to go off by your own."

She'd expected this alright. Tadashi was going to be her biggest obstacle, and she wasn't sure if she could pull off convincing him.

"Tadashi-nii, I'm going with or without your approval," she put her foot down, frowning at him.

"And I'm telling you  _no_!" Tadashi glared. "Even if you won't go to school or you're doing bot-fighting all the time, I'd rather that than for you to go traipsing off to who knows where, where I can't be there for you!"

Hiro felt herself reluctantly crumble for her brother. He was always so sweet and protective over her.

"Tadashi-nii, I love you. But I'm doing this," she determinedly held on to her conviction.

This time, Tadashi was the one who crumbled and looked at her like he felt lost. He pulled her into a hug.

"I love you too, Hiro-chan," he murmured. "I just want to keep you safe."

"I know, Nii-san, I know."

The two of them had always had trouble parting from each other.

Started 2/17/15 – Completed 2/19/15


	2. Lightmaker

Tadashi nervously adjusted his ninja cap on his head, before fiddling with the zipper on his jacket. Then he adjusted his ninja cap again. Without warning, he started tapping his foot.

"Tadashi, you're making  _me_  nervous," Aunt Cass sighed in exasperation, glaring at her nephew lightly.

"But Aunt Cass! I haven't seen Hiro in a long time. I just…I can't wait to see her again," he shrugged, giving a helpless grin.

It had been three years since he'd seen his sister, and though they frequently emailed, phoned, and chatted online and through video chat, it just wasn't the same. And the fact was, Tadashi missed his sister, and worried over her incessantly over the years, especially since he wasn't there to look after her personally.

Aunt Cass gave him a fond grin. "But she's still your little Hiro, so don't worry. I'm sure she's just as anxious to see her big brother again."

It made him feel slightly better, but he still couldn't help the small bit of anxiety left. Sighing to himself, he lifted up the big sign he made for her homecoming, hoping she'd see it immediately and come to them without any problems. Really, he hoped she liked it overall, given how hard he'd worked to make it…and because he just wanted his little sister to like it.

And then he was seeing his sister coming out from her assigned gate, looking so much taller and older than he remembered her to be. Even through video, he hadn't been able to make out the changes as well as he did now.

Her face was thinner, lacking the baby fat he remembered her having. Her body had filled out, and he knew he would have to buy a bat so he could be ready to fend off the boys away from her. Her hair had also grown from the short, shaggy haircut she used to wear, now up to the mid of her back.

All in all, she had grown up when he hadn't been looking, and become a beautiful young lady.

It made him sad for the missed years, and worried for the future. God forbid she'd get a boyfriend or something…

Eying her now, Tadashi decided that a trip to a sports store and buying that bat already was a sound idea.

"Mr. Hamada?" Mr. Alexander pushed his shoulder slightly. "Why don't you greet your sister? It's been a long time coming, hasn't it?"

The older man gave him a warm smile, and Tadashi was glad Hiro's supervisor had come with them to greet his sister home. Stepping forward, Tadashi held up his sign firmly.

"Hiro? Hiro!" that got her attention and she found him, waving his sign around and grinning at her.

A grin broke out on her face as well, and she started to run towards him. Dropping his sign, he ran forward as well and met her halfway, letting her jump onto him and holding onto her tight in return, twirling her around happily.

"Hiro!"

"Tadashi!"

"I'm glad you two are happy to see each other. Now what about my hug?" Aunt Cass came closer, grinning at her niece and holding out her arms.

Hiro tightened her arms around Tadashi, before pulling away and going to Aunt Cass and hugging her as well. Then, spotting Mr. Alexander, hugged him as well. He awkwardly hugged her back.

"Glad to have you back, Miss Hamada," he said.

"Ah, are we going to have to deal with business now?" Hiro asked curiously.

He shook his head. "No, I was here with your aunt and brother to greet you welcome back. We can deal with business tomorrow morning, but I was going to treat everyone to lunch."

"Now that's a homecoming!" she cheered, grabbing her brother's hand and towing him off.

The two adults chuckled and followed after.

"Hiro! Silly imouto, we haven't even grabbed your luggage!"

* * *

Alistair Krei felt like he was at the top of the world. Everything seemed to be going right for once, and these days, haunting memories of his failure with Project Silent Sparrow seemed quieted as best as could be.

Idly, he pressed a button on the wrist gadget he wore, creating a holographic piano in front of him. He tested the tune, pleased with the autotune feature, and began to play Mozart's  _Rondo alla turca_  in delight.

At the end of it, slow clapping was heard by his door and he turned slightly to see his R&D Director standing there. James Alexander wasn't just a very loyal employee that had been with him for years –he was also Krei's uncle.

"Wonderful playing, Alistair," the man said neutrally.

"Thank you, Uncle James," Krei thanked him, though he was truthfully lost in thought. "This is truly a fantastic invention. We've never really focused on or had a huge market with the music industry, but this has landed us on the music board exponentially. The last three years has been very productive for us as well. And I believe it's due to an outsource employee. Why have I not been able to meet with them yet?"

"Hiro Hamada has been a great addition, but not officially hired due to age concerns. Hiro has also been traveling the last past years, hence why you have yet to meet her," his uncle raised an eyebrow. "She returned today from her travels, and as I discussed with her before, her employment status will be renegotiated along with the terms of the Instru licensing."

Krei turned to him at that, caught unawares. "The licensing? And what's this about her employment status? Is she not an employee of Krei Tech Industries, even if an outsource one?"

James gave him a stern look, making Krei feel like a scolded child again.

"The terms we first agreed upon would be that she would be hired on a part-time basis, and being an individual asset and not fully bound to Krei Tech Industries, as she was still 13 at the time. In three years, now present time, we would revisit that part and hire her fully, while also officially introducing her to her staff and inducting her into the company. At the same time, we would also renegotiate the patent licensing, since originally we'd agreed on a 10 percent royalty to her, with the licensing ending up becoming expired around this time."

"Well then, make sure to have that patent license renewed especially. We wouldn't want this invention to be taken up by competitors," Krei turned off the holopiano. "And with that meeting, I wish to attend it."

James nodded his way. "It's tomorrow morning, Alistair."

"I'll make sure my schedule is cleared," Krei mused to himself.

His uncle left him back to his own devices, and Krei stared out of his sky view windows. Truthfully, this was the first he had really heard of the Instru's inventor's name, much less the actual young age and that it was a girl. He hadn't actually even been aware of the actual details of the tentative agreement between Hiro Hamada and his uncle, and he was surprised at the terms, and slightly worried –they weren't solid enough to keep Hamada with them and make her want to stay with Krei Tech Industries and not look to other opportunities and companies.

Perhaps, when coming along to this meeting, he could add something to sweeten up the deal and keep her interested in working for Krei Tech Industries.

* * *

"Miss home?" Tadashi asked her as she lay on her front on his bed lazily.

"Yeah," she said quietly.

Tadashi bit his lip. She was…quieter and more solemn than he remembered…

There were other things he'd noted back at the airport that he thought more on now. As Hiro had exited through her gate, he'd noted there was a tired look to her eyes, a sort of world-weariness that hadn't been there before. There was a slump to her shoulders that spoke volumes on her beleaguered state. A sort of drag to her feet that showed her reluctance to keep moving forward…

He plopped himself onto his bed and lay down next to her, front first as well, scooting to the edge of his bed until he was head to head with her.

"Hiro, you know you can always tell me anything, right?" he gave her a tender smile.

She gave one back, but it was laced with that horrid weariness.

"I know, Tadashi-nii. That's why you're the best brother ever," her smile widened just a little.

Knowing he wasn't going to get anything out of her then, Tadashi decided he needed a change of subject. Remembering his friends, he playfully prodded Hiro's shoulder until his sister exasperatedly swatted his hand away.

"What?" she rolled her eyes.

"I was thinking, tomorrow after your meeting with Alexander-san, that you could come with me to SFIT," he hesitantly suggested. "You could see what I do, meet my friends…"

Hiro frowned and looked reluctant. "I'm not sure I'm…ready to meet other people and be social."

Tadashi pinched her cheek and pulled. "I thought this trip of yours was supposed to make you more social."

"Ow, ow, Tadashi!" she slapped his hand away and rubbed her red cheek, pouting at her brother. "I am more social. More social than before at least. And no, my trip wasn't to get me to be more social, baka! I wanted to gain more experience and learn all about the world and people and stuff."

Tadashi reached over and pulled both of her cheeks this time. "Who're you calling 'baka', imouto?"

"Itai! Tadashi-nii!"

"Say sorry."

"Sorry, Tadashi! I'm sorry!"

He was having too much fun, but it really had been too long since he'd been able to tease and have fun with his sister like this.

"In Japanese too."

"G-gomen nasai, Nii-san!"

Tadashi laughed and finally let go of her cheeks. "Alright, alright. The 'Nii-san' was a good touch, Hiro. I'm mollified. Now just agree to come with me to SFIT to see my workspace at least. You can see what I've been working on."

Obviously curious about that, Hiro consented and agreed to go with him. She surprised him next by scooting closer and then burrowing her head into his chest, hiding her face against him. Tentatively placing an arm around her, Tadashi contemplated how much he wanted to pry into her travels and her problems, but it seemed like he had to force himself to be patient.

But he really didn't want to be.

* * *

Krei glanced at his door watchfully, before turning his attention back to his computer. From there, he clicked on a window and enlarged it, showing a webpage about bot-fighting. There was one scheduled downtown that night. Perhaps he should check it out…

He admitted that he was rather interested in the street sport. Partly because it was interesting, but also that it helped to scout out the popular interests and what the people wanted, in order to come up with products they'd be willing to buy.

He even had a product line dedicated to bot-fighting, with a popular build-your-own kit for the amateurs and beginners, and the more experienced and serious bot-fighters going after Krei Tech Industries' more expensive and technical materials, especially if they wanted to customized their own bots.

Krei had been accused and criticized for encouraging the street sport, which drew plenty of crime and gambling, but business was business and he always went after trends the people were excited for.

Preparing himself for the outing, he made sure to don a casual outfit that made him blend in and be unrecognizable. Removing his dress jacket, he put on a gray hoodie that he zipped up to his neck, put on a Giants cap and then the hood, and then jammed ordinary, plain sunglasses onto his prominent nose. Once he'd finished, he called up his driver and decided he'd meet him in Krei's private parking area that held a good deal of different cars for personal use or for him to travel for business. Deciding that the Rolls-Royce Phantom sedan would be spacious and luxurious enough, without drawing too much attention, he told his driver to go for that and bring it around to the elevator's entrance.

His chauffeur drove the expensive black Rolls-Royce out of its parking space in his private parking area, and drove over to where he waited in front of the elevator reserved for his private use. Instead of waiting for his driver to open his door, he slipped into the back quickly and shut the door. His driver already knew his desired destination, so he began to drive as soon as Krei was in the car.

It took a little over half an hour to get where he wanted, and Krei instructed his chauffeur to park and wait around the corner of the alley that he would need to traverse to find the secluded area hosting the bot-fighting "arena." He would call or text him when he needed him. Without further ado, Krei stepped out of his car and confidently but quietly walked down the alley and took at least three turns before he reached the now crowded space that held bot-fights and spectators all in that one place.

"Bet high, bet low, bet all! Put down your bets, because it's time for the next bout!"

Managing to carefully slip his way through the crowd and to the front, where the bot-fight would take place, Krei managed to then get a clearer glimpse of the bot-fighters and the bots. On one side was a young man, tattoos running down his arms, one peeking up his neck. The other was of a young lady, very young and who didn't look to be part of this type of scene at all –not by her age or look.

She looked around her teens somewhere, mid to late. He was guessing that for sure, especially since she wore the high school seifuku. She had expressive, large slanted Asian eyes, colored a warm brown (if a tinge weary), a cute button nose, and dark hair that was expertly twirled into a messy bun. She was short though, but it was a common trait amongst most Asians.

Her bot was peculiar though. While the other bot had hints of Krei Tech product woven into the design here and there, the other was simplified and almost plain, complete with a yellow smiley face.

"Easy win. This girl's going down," he heard one of the audience whisper near him.

He glanced at the bots again and for some reason felt that wouldn't be true, despite his scrutiny and almost dismissive overlook of the girl's bot as well.

In the next few minutes, he was proven both right and wrong. Right that it wouldn't be an easy win and she wouldn't just go down like that, and wrong in being so dismissive and scrutinizing so judgmentally of her simplistic and "basic" design.

It was clearly an underhanded cover to look so harmless, considering in the next few minutes her bot proceeded to annoy the hell out of her opponent, each limb that the opponent's bot disconnected seemingly coming alive and reattaching every time. And then the smiley face of the bot changed into a more menacing one, and then went on to utterly destroy the other bot.

"Now that's what I call an execution, people!"

The cheers and jeers of the crowd sounded around him, but he was too busy staring in awe at the girl and that bot. She just stared impassively at the announcer/host, who handed her the money. At the same time though, someone ran into the place yelling.

"Cops on the outskirt! Everyone's got to beat it!"

Krei grimaced. Even if he hadn't been gambling, it wouldn't look good to be found there. He started to leave with the crowd, though with less panic and trying to look like he'd done nothing wrong, and at the same time as trying to sneak away and not stick out amongst everyone, while texting his driver.

In the midst of getting away, nearer to the alley he'd gone through, he spotted the girl he'd been watching in the bot-fight. Hearing the police sirens, he sped up and passed her, grabbing onto one of her hands.

"Hey! What –"

"This way!" he hurriedly muttered to her, and was relieved to find his Rolls-Royce roll up to the entrance of the alley.

He was quick to open the door and throw himself in, dragging the girl in with him. Once the door was shut, he knocked on the window separating the back and the driver.

"Quentin, drive away nice and slowly, like we have nothing to hide and aren't running away from anything. Alright?"

"Yes, sir."

Sighing in relief, Krei turned back to the girl, who was looking at him strangely. Then she looked around.

"Well, this is convenient," she raised her eyebrows. "I doubt the police would look twice at an expensive car like this being part of something shady…"

Ironically, two of the incoming police cars rushed passed them then, and Krei cracked a smile.

"It does come in handy, doesn't it?" he remarked candidly. "May I ask your name?"

She looked at him warily, but he was pleased when she gave him an answer. "My name is Hiro. Yours?"

What luck he had in meeting so many intelligent females named Hiro. Perhaps it was a lucky name?

He pulled down his hood and took off his hat, and then slipped off his sunglasses as he smiled widely and pulled down the zipper of his sweater jacket, all the while enjoying the shocked look on her face and her wide eyes.

"My name is Alistair Krei."

Started 2/24/15 – Completed 3/3/15


	3. Pour the Gasoline

He was delighted. She was terribly, _terribly_ (but in a fantastic way) intelligent. He was actually disappointed when they'd finally reached Hiro's home and she had to go. They'd talked from anywhere with battle-bots to the mechanics of the Instru, which he'd showed off to her when she saw it on his wrist. She seemed oddly amused then, but he had been rather enthusiastic about the device and even playfully played Beethoven for her.

He'd gone home and slept satisfied, but wishing he had asked for a way to contact her. He didn't really have many he could talked to, especially intelligently or so casually. He didn't talk casually with anyone actually, not since –

And well…those he talked to on intelligent matters were prone to being annoyingly stuck up and know-it-alls, and many usually thought that Krei was stupid and knew nothing and was just a businessman.

Now it was morning and he'd woken up sluggishly, and he had a meeting he was looking forward to and was hopeful for. At least he had another Hiro to meet, and he hoped she was as intelligent and innovative as the one he just met and her reputation said she was.

He called up his uncle, who had already given Krei's driver the address and would be meeting him at the meeting spot. He was quick to get ready and then head to his chauffeured car, which smoothly exited the area and then began to go into the streets of San Fransokyo. Without any time wasted, they were in front of the Lucky Cat Café, and Krei had to blink because it felt like the place was familiar to him. Why was it…?

Shrugging to himself and figuring it would come to him sooner or later, he just headed inside and was quick to spot his uncle sitting with a woman and having tea. She couldn't be the Hiro he was supposed to meet, given that with what he'd learned from his uncle, she was supposed to be 16 now.

"Ah, Alistair –this is Cassandra, Hiro's aunt and guardian," his uncle introduced the woman, who stood up and held out her hand.

He smoothly grabbed onto it and kissed it, causing her to blush slightly.

"Ms. Cassandra, a pleasure," he smiled charmingly.

"It's my pleasure, Mr. Krei," she smiled back widely. "And oh! Here she is. Hiro, come meet Mr. Krei."

"Pleased to meet you, Mr. Krei," a familiar voice said in amusement, and Krei knew that voice and had no trouble recognizing it.

Turning around and hiding his shock, he was correct in his thoughts, seeing the girl he met last night and was actually the very same Hiro that was under his employ. Or was under his employ and who he needed to convince to stay with his company.

"A pleasure finally meeting you, Miss Hamada," he said neutrally, still smiling, though he gave her a knowing look.

Her lips twitched, though she bowed slightly. "Thank you for personally attending, Mr. Krei. And Hiro is fine."

"Then as one of my most important employees, please call me Alistair," Krei told her congenially. Perhaps last night was a fortune favoring him and giving him a boost and advantage for this meeting. Perhaps it was just fate. Perhaps it was both. But whatever the case, he was going to gain an employee that was probably the most intelligent being alive at her age, maybe even smarter than those older than her. "You signed a contract with us a long time ago. I'm truly hoping to renew it to both our benefits."

"Why don't we all sit down and begin then?" Uncle James interrupted and Krei gave his agreement. They settled around a table and he noticed the café was otherwise unoccupied.

"We have a 10% royalty before, I believe," Uncle James started off and Hiro nodded.

"Your Instru invention is fantastic and shot off like a rocket from the start," Krei clasped his hands in front of him on the table. "It's done extremely well in the market. How about an additional 10% to the original 10?"

"Make it 30% overall," Hiro said firmly and Cassandra gasped out her niece's name. "You can afford it, especially with the sales of Instru being as they are."

"Done," Krei said without blinking, and though his uncle raised his eyebrow at him, he didn't protest. Besides, Krei swore that he was going to do what it took to keep this girl in his employ and her invention attached to his company. "Now about your employment…"

"What about it?" she tilted her head, looking oddly cute about it as she had a quizzical expression.

"We did say before that we would revisit your contract and see if you'd like to renew and renegotiate the terms of it," Uncle James reminded her.

"Oh," she understood then. "Right. About that –I don't really care to work anywhere else and I'm happy with the arrangement I have with Krei Tech. The original proposition you gave me is fine –the division I've worked with over the years have gotten used to and accommodated me, and I like the idea of now being able to officially meet them and work with them and also officially working with Krei Tech."

That was fantastic news and better than what Krei had thought would happen or even hoped for.

"Great!" Krei smiled widely. "Uncle, did you bring the contracts?"

Hiro and Cassandra stared at them as Uncle James handed the contracts over to Krei.

"Wait…you're related?" Hiro gaped.

Cassandra looked between Krei and Uncle James several times.

"I didn't mention that?" his uncle asked amusingly. "I apologize."

"Three years!" Hiro swatted at his uncle's arms. "Not a single word!"

Bemused, Krei watched in astonishment. He had no idea how casual and close his uncle were to this family, nor had he ever seen his uncle act so lighthearted, laughing and smiling as he was. Uncles James was usually very stern and strict.

Hiro sighed and held out her hand. "Hand over the contracts before I make Mr. Alexander wash dishes as repayment for being a forgetful jerk."

Krei handed them over, still completely bemused.

* * *

"So how was it earlier?" Tadashi asked as he came to the café to pick her up.

She still wasn't sure about this, but Tadashi was really looking forward to showing her the school and where he studied specifically (as well as his friends), so she didn't let her reluctance show.

"It was good," Hiro nodded, thinking back about it. "The royalty pay from the Instru should be more than enough to cover university costs, so that shouldn't be worried about."

Tadashi laughed. "Aren't you a regular, responsible adult! Don't grow up too fast, imouto."

She got on his moped and lightly smacked his shoulder.

"I start working tomorrow though," she told him, while he pouted and rubbed his stinging shoulder. "Could you give me a ride to the Krei Tech building? I haven't had a chance to get my permit, not that I even have anything to drive or anything."

"Yeah, sure," Tadashi agreed. "I can't believe you're working already! And at somewhere so professional and famous."

"Believe it!" she grinned widely. "I'm just awesome."

"I'm going to turn around and tickle you if you don't deflate your ego, brat," her brother teased and she huffed.

"Ah come on! I want to gloat to someone. You're the only one I can gloat to!" she practically whined.

"Then be social finally! And get some friends."

She refused to answer him about that.

Tadashi started his moped and began to drive it towards the university, where he was quick to find a spot in front of where he usually spent his time at.

"You do your work here?" Hiro asked, looking up at the building in thought.

"Nice, right? Come in and have a look around," Tadashi grabbed hold of her hand and tugged his sister towards him. He led the way inside, where he was happy and pleased to see Hiro's eyes light up in interest as she looked around and saw the various projects being worked on and tested.

"Oh hey, come meet GoGo," Tadashi spotted his tough female friend. "GoGo! Meet my little sis. Hiro, meet GoGo."

Hiro opened her mouth to say hi, wanting to shuffle and hide behind Tadashi, when she caught of the bike behind the girl.

"Hello," she said distractedly, walking towards the bike. "Electromagnetic suspension? Nice…Never seen it on a bike though."

"Makes it faster and more aerodynamic," GoGo was amused, though she tossed Tadashi a questionable look. He shrugged. "It's not fast enough though."

Hiro hummed in thought as an answer, still examining the bike. But then a reflection distracted her and she looked over to see a young man activating some kind of…shield?

"And that's Wasabi," Tadashi laughed and grabbed his sister to walk closer to his other friend. "Wasabi! What's up, man?"

"Nothing much. Tweaking this thing. Hold on right there! Hey, little miss, catch," and Wasabi threw an apple through what she had thought was a shield, shredding the fruit into paper-thin slices that Hiro caught a few.

"Fascinating," she muttered, examining the pieces and eating one. "Mm~"

A light-haired brunette appeared closer to them, rolling around a big black ball. "Coming through!"

Tadashi was grinning again. "Honey Lemon! This is Hiro, my sister I talk about!"

"Ohh, you're so right! She is cute as a button," Honey Lemon snagged Hiro's hand and dragged her after her. "Come over here!"

Like a mad scientist, Honey Lemon whirled through her chemicals as Hiro watched in interest. And then Honey Lemon put a tiny drop of whatever she concocted onto the black ball, which suddenly turned pink.

"Huh," Hiro blinked. "It's like a big, pink gumdrop."

"Only not!" Honey Lemon laughed and then poked it, causing it to disintegrate and cover herself in pink dust.

"Fascinating," Hiro said again, engrossed with the experiment.

"Follow me now," Tadashi said, only to run into a familiar mascot. "Fred! What are you doing here?"

"Doing what I always do!" the lizard thing threw off its head and Hiro realized it was a costume. "Hello, little lady! You must be Tadashi's younger sister he always talks about! I'm Fred."

"Do you talk about me all the time, Tadashi? Geez," Hiro teased while rolling her eyes at her brother. "Nice to meet you, Fred. I'm Hiro."

"The names are just nicknames Fred came up with," Tadashi informed her, seeing her curiosity. "Fred is the school mascot, but he likes to hang around here."

"I swear I spilled wasabi just one time," Wasabi told her irritably. "These guys! Really!"

They started to bicker playfully, especially when they got in on Fred and the strangest requests for inventions he wanted. But then Tadashi was pulling at her arm and she went and followed him to where she realized was his workroom.

"This is where you…?"

Tadashi nodded, giving her a wide smile. "Want to see what _I'm_ working on?"

He toyed with the idea of putting duct tape on her arm and yanking it, but he'd always been averse to anything that could hurt Hiro, even playfully. So instead he got the duct tape and showed it to her, then applied it to his own arm before yanking if off. He winced and yelled ow, but it was enough to activate the robot he'd been working on.

"What is that?" Hiro's eyes widened and she trekked closer to the robot in question.

"I am Baymax," the robot introduced himself. "I am your personal healthcare companion."

And Hiro watched intently as Tadashi was scanned, arm sprayed with bacitracin, and then given a lollipop. She wanted the lollipop…

As if reading her mind, Tadashi rolled his eyes and handed it to her. She did try to trick Baymax about Tadashi being allergic to bacitracin, but she was corrected.

"Smart," she eyed it. "How much work did you do for it?"

"A ton of coding," Tadashi sighed in remembrance. "But it's totally worth it!"

Hiro smiled to herself, watching her brother. He'd always wanted to help others.

There was a knock on the door and Hiro curiously looked to it, as Tadashi went over to his door and opened it, revealing an older man in a sweater vest over a dress shirt.

"Professor! What are you doing here?" Tadashi exclaimed.

Tadashi's professor smiled slightly. "I heard you were in. How are things?"

"Great, Professor," Tadashi then stepped back to allow the professor into the room. "This is my sister, Hiro. Hiro, meet Professor Callaghan."

That made Hiro breathe in sharply and look at the professor with wide eyes, though she did shuffle slightly towards her brother. Shyly and wanting to shrink behind Tadashi, she bowed respectfully.

"Hello. I'm Hiro Hamada. Pleased to meet you," she tried not to mumble.

"Ah, you're the little sister Tadashi talks constantly about!" Professor Callaghan smiled. "It is a great pleasure to finally meet you, Miss Hamada."

"Hiro is fine, sir," she swallowed nervously. "I've read all of your books and papers, Professor Callaghan. It's amazing everything you've thought of."

He looked surprised, while Tadashi was amused. "Why, that's great praise indeed. Thank you."

"I brought her here, hoping to get her interested in attending the Institute," Tadashi admitted, though he kept out that he wanted her to be more social as well. "She's working already, but I think it would be better for her to get a degree too."

Professor Callaghan looked surprised again, though this time Hiro was the one amused, even if she didn't show it.

"You work?" he directed towards Hiro.

"Yes," she turned red slightly. "When I was 13, I went to Krei Tech and pitched the Instru, though that wasn't the name before."

There was a dark look that passed briefly on Professor Callaghan's face, but it disappeared too quickly for Hiro to be sure it was there.

"Amazing, getting hired so young," he hmmed. "And it's further amazing that that popular invention was of your doing! Still, I believe your brother is right and you could benefit from attending here."

Hiro finally laughed, even if it was short and quiet. "I do attend here," she revealed, causing the two to stare at her.

"Wait, what?' her brother exclaimed. "Since when?"

"Before I got hired," she shrugged, feeling uncomfortable under their looks. "I wanted to make you and Aunt Cass happy, so I decided I would apply to here after I graduated high school. I got accepted."

"So when you meant the Instru would cover university costs, you meant both of ours," Tadashi realized.

Hiro nodded slightly. "I was hoping that it would pay off both our intuition when I went to pitch it back then," she confessed, though she kept out about their money problems.

Tadashi bit his lip. "Geez, Hiro. I'm supposed to be the older brother and take care of things, you know? You were way too young to be worrying about money then, and still are."

Hiro frowned, not wanting her brother to feel upset. "Well, even if you are smart, I'm still the smarter one of the two of us –and the one with the inventions!" she said cheekily, and it worked slightly because Tadashi huffed and was mock-glaring at her now.

"It is still admirable and responsible of you, Miss Hamada," Professor Callaghan murmured, a soft smile and a fond gaze on him.

She inevitably turned red slightly. She wasn't used to compliments, especially since she kept away from people and didn't interact with anyone if she could. She had gotten better through the years, but she was still as unsocial as ever.

"How are you going to class if you've been traveling the world the past three years?" Tadashi gave her a suspicious look.

She blinked at him. "I took all of my general education classes online, and did classes at different universities and colleges if I needed to be physically in a class –either enrolling and taking classes to transfer credits back here, or arranged to be able to just take the classes at some places and have them accredited straight to San Fransokyo Tech." She was stared at, but she could understand how daunting that sounds.

"Well, three years is a long time. Did you manage to get an Associate's Degree or are you waiting for your Bachelor's after a fourth year?" Tadashi scrutinized his sister.

She fidgeted slightly. "I'm doing joint degrees, and finished up and earned my Bachelor's mid-third year and just started the graduate program early, instead of starting it in my fourth year of uni."

Tadashi gaped at his sister. "Well, that's it. I should travel the world too then! Maybe I'll be able to get my Bachelor's a little faster," he said in a dry tone, shaking his head but smiling proudly.

"Which should be done soon, right?" Hiro pointed out. "You were already a year in uni before I'd left, and it's almost close to four years since, so you should be done with your four-year program to get a Bachelor of Science degree."

Tadashi coughed. "Actually, I'm in a five-year program. And since I'm not doing joint degrees either, it's definitely going to take me a little longer…"

"Ah well…" she waved an invisible flag sheepishly. "I'm here for support?"

Tadashi gave an exasperated sigh, while Professor Callaghan barked out a laugh.

"Don't tease your sister too much, Mr. Hamada. Dear Hiro will probably turn into a tomato if she keeps turning red!"

And yet, Hiro did indeed turn red at that, causing the other two to further laugh at her.

"In any case, you are very welcome to come around here and hang around," Professor Callaghan extended the offer. "You might even provide a word of advice to some of the kids around here!"

He smiled warmly at her before taking his leave. Hiro turned to Tadashi excitedly.

"I can't believe I met _the_ Robert Callaghan!" Hiro practically squealed.

Tadashi just chuckled and ruffled her hair.

Started 12/1/15 – Completed 12/7/15


	4. Step Away From Isolation

Hiro grabbed the toast from the kitchen and hurried down the stairs from her home and to the café, where her aunt was already holding out a lunch bag.

"Thanks, Aunt Cass! I'm ready, Tadashi!"

Tadashi tossed her a helmet and then led the way to his moped, where he got on first and then waited for her to settle in behind him.

"You going to end up working late?" Tadashi asked curiously.

"Probably?" Hiro answered unsurely and then stuffed her mouth with the toast.

Tadashi rolled his eyes. "Well, I'll end up working on Baymax at school late then too. So call me and I'll come pick you up."

"If I'm not too late," Hiro mumbled through her food. "I might be working past midnight. I'm really excited and there's lots of work to do."

"Hm, good luck then, Hiro," Tadashi told her warmly, making her smile against his back as she finished her food and settled against him, holding onto him.

For the rest of the ride, it was quiet and she just hung on tight to her brother while he drove her to her work on his moped. At the front of Krei Tech, he stopped his moped and she hopped off. Kissing his cheek, she gave a wave and a wink.

"Bye, Tadashi! See you later."

She stopped by the entrance and turned, watching him move away before driving off back into traffic. Then she sighed and entered the building, heading towards the elevator. Using her pass, she entered the private elevator for employees with certain clearance and then used her pass again to reach her level. When the elevator started moving, she felt her nerves light up and it made her anxious about her first day.

She was also anxious about meeting people, even if it was people with whom she'd been working with for years now (though only through limited access and her computer). She was never really good socially and this situation was making her more nervous than usual.

But now they were officially working under her and she would be working side by side with them, and she was also officially a Krei Tech employee. It was actually a lot to take in.

The elevator pinged and she got ready to step out, only to realize in confusion that she was three sublevels away from her destination. The door opened and who else but Alastair Krei appeared, giving her a cheerful grin.

Well, she hadn't expected that.

"First day, right? Uncle James was going to introduce you, but I told him I would do so," he stepped into the elevator. "Nervous?"

"A lot," she admitted, trying to keep from tapping her foot in her nervousness.

The elevator doors closed and they were moving again.

She nearly jumped when he placed a hand on her shoulder, so distracted and nervous she was. He gave her a reassuring smile.

"You'll be fine," he told her. "Aside from the fact you know what you're doing, you've also had the benefit of working with all of them already. They will just need to get used to seeing you in person and actually realize how young you are."

She really hoped so. She knew she was young and most would be skeptical of her running her own R&D section, but she felt she could do this. She _could_ do this. Hiro was even sure that she could do this and juggle the rest of her college education.

She took a deep breath and gave a grateful smile to her boss.

"Thanks. I'm not that nervous anymore."

Krei nodded and then the doors opened to where she would be working, and they stepped out to see the whole floor stop what they were doing and look over. There was a moment of stillness and silence, before Krei cleared his throat.

"If I could have everyone's attention," he said smoothly, though it was unneeded because he already had everyone's attention. It wasn't everyday your boss visited your floor after all, and Hiro was sure that it made everyone alert and worried. Krei gestured to her. "If you see to my right, this is Hiro Hamada. I'm sure you all know her through the three years you've been working with her. She will now be personally working here and is the new supervisor of this section. Nothing really new, just that she's here in person, right?"

There were murmurs of agreement, though there were plenty of uncertainty going around as well.

"Fantastic," Krei clapped his hands. "Do good work, everyone! I look forward to what you all come up with and develop. Let's all work hard!"

He turned to her then. "I'll leave you here," he said quietly. "Do your best and don't worry so much. You'll be fine and I'm sure no one will give you much trouble. If they do, don't be afraid to tell me. I'll sort it out. I prefer a harmonic working environment, so please do so and don't be afraid or think that it'll be shown as favoritism or something like that. There _is_ also an established order, and if one of those under you lashes out, it's unacceptable. No matter how young you are, you are still their superior. Alright?"

Hiro blinked, a little thrown off and getting somewhat dazed, but she managed a nod to show she understood.

Krei nodded and gave one last clasped of her shoulder in reassurance, then he was off back to the elevator and exiting the sublevel. She then turned back to the others, feeling nervousness creep up again, especially seeing their attention still on her. She swallowed and took another deep breath, squaring her shoulders.

"Hello, everyone! I'm glad to be able to work with everyone officially! I hope we continue to get along and let's beat out the other levels, huh?"

It was then she got a louder chorus of cheers and agreements, and Hiro smiled to herself.

Everything will be fine. Yes, she really shouldn't be too worried in the end…

* * *

Tadashi swirled his pencil over and over, his eyebrows furrowed in worry. Which wasn't such a surprise, since he was so worried about his sister and he'd been distracted by that worry since waking up that morning and realizing he would have to drop her off to work.

Her first day at work.

He groaned and nearly broke his pencil in agitation. He was interrupted by a soft knock at his door and he turned to see who it was. Caught off guard to see his professor there, he stood up abruptly.

"Professor! What can I do for you?" Tadashi asked, worry split between his sister (who his thoughts of hovered in the back of his mind still) and why Professor Callaghan was there.

"Just checking in on you," Professor Callaghan gave a brief smile. "You seem distracted today, and a bit anxious."

He winced. "That obvious, huh? It's Hiro's first day at work. I'm hoping everything's alright and she's not having too much trouble, but…"

"You don't know yet until you've seen her and she tells you about her day," Professor Callaghan said understandingly.

Tadashi nodded. "And I don't get to see her until late. She won't be let off until late I think…11 or so? I'm not sure. I just know she warned me that she might be working past midnight, so her hours seem like they can and probably will extend late."

"She's only 16, yes?" Professor Callaghan asked. At Tadashi's confirming nod, he hummed in thought. "She's very responsible and mature for her age. It's hard to imagine she's going through a full work day like she is, along with what she said that she's still finishing up here at SFIT."

"It won't take her long to finish the graduate program and graduate from here," Tadashi said wryly.

Professor Callaghan laughed. "Most probably not. Well, make sure to reiterate to her that she's always welcome around here, even if it's to just visit her big brother."

Tadashi blushed a little, but he did smile gratefully at his professor.

"Thanks, Professor. I'll remind her."

Professor Callaghan gave him one last acknowledging nod before leaving Tadashi behind, and Tadashi sighed and tried to focus back on his work. But without the distraction, Tadashi found himself drifting back to thinking about his sister and worrying again, hoping that she was alright.

She was probably the youngest employee there after all, and who knows how they were treating her because of that? Tadashi had a right to be worried –besides, it was his little sister and he had sworn he'd protect her and take care of her, ever since their parents died.

And he had to admit it bothered him that it was more like the other way around, with Hiro taking on all the responsibilities and taking care of him more than he had been taking care of her.

He was determined to do something about that.

* * *

As she thought, she ended up working past midnight. Well, technically her hours ended around nine to ten and the rest of her team had gone already, but she had wanted to stay behind and finish up a little more on the work they were doing.

She was pretty sure they were close to creating a real virtual reality where you could actually plug yourself in and interact in a virtual world or play your games as if you were actually in them. They just needed to figure out the correct algorithm…

There was a firm knock and a cough behind her, and she turned blearily to see that her boss was standing by one of the desks and holding onto a plastic bag that had containers in it.

Then she realized it was her boss and she yelped, standing up quickly and bowing.

"Hello, Mr. Krei. Please forgive me for ignoring you and not greeting you right away!"

Ah, if her parents and Tadashi could see her now –ha! She could remember her manners…sometimes, and not always right away…

He smiled slowly in amusement. "It's fine," he waved her off. "You look pretty tired, so I doubt you're going to be on point for everything right now. Security told me you were working pretty late –you do remember your hours, right?"

She sheepishly rubbed the back of her head. "Yeah…but I just wanted to work on this a little more. I think my group's pretty close to a finished product concept."

Krei's eyes widened and he shook his head. "That's amazing. You just started working and already you're producing work. Still…when was the last time you ate?" he ended wryly, surprising her with the subject change.

She blinked and thought on it. When was…

Her stomach growled loudly at the mention of food, and she finally noticed the pangs bothering her stomach.

"Er, it might've been this morning?" She had a piece a toast she ate on the way here, she remembered…"I think I grabbed a piece of toast from my aunt while leaving the café to head here."

He raised an eyebrow at her. " _Just_ a piece of toast? And from this _morning_?"

She shrugged, once again sheepish.

He rolled his eyes. "I figured from the way it was hinted by security and the last of your team, who left a note with my secretary to pass onto me." He held up the bag he'd been holding. "Takeout?"

Hiro practically salivated. "Where'd you get takeout at this time?"

"I know people," he joked and set it down on the desk next to him, unraveling the knot.

She came over and helped him and soon enough they had everything spread out and opened.

"My brother's probably freaking out," Hiro yawned, covering her mouth. "I told him I was going to be late, but he's always so overprotective and worries too much."

"Oh? I didn't know you had a brother," Krei stated in curiosity as he picked up his chopsticks.

"Hm, yeah, I do," Hiro tried to keep from yawning again. She really was tired though. "You didn't get to meet him. When we had our meeting, he was in SFIT."

"He's a uni student then?"

Hiro nodded, picking out the food she wanted and placing them on her plate. "Yeah, he goes to SFIT like I do. I get to tease him that I'll graduate before him though. He thinks it's utterly ridiculous and pouts about it a lot since he found out yesterday."

Krei laughed. "If I knew my little sister was going to graduate before me, I would pout about it too. He just found out yesterday?"

Hiro blushed slightly. "Ah, well, the whole traveling happened pretty fast before, so I never got to tell him I applied and got accepted into his school."

He nodded thoughtfully, picking at his chow mein. "And how was that? Traveling around the world for three years?"

She grew quiet and minutely gripped her chopsticks a little too hard, before she answered finally.

"It was alright. New experiences and all," she said simply.

He noted the reactions and the answer, tucking it away in his memory for a later time.

"So about your brother," he switched topics. "What's he studying?"

"Engineering," Hiro then took another bite of her orange chicken. "He's in the Engineering and Robotics Program under Robert Callaghan." She saw the flinch at the famous name, which made her blurt out the question. "Do you know him? Personally, that is?"

Krei hesitated, but he did actually answer her, which took her off guard. She was expecting a dodge, especially since she acknowledge that had been a real personal question that she shouldn't have blurted out.

"We worked together on a project before," Krei hedged. "It's…pretty classified, especially since it was a government-funded project. Things didn't end well."

Given she hadn't really expected an answer at all (though now her curiosity was running rampant and she wanted to ask a lot of questions), she kept quiet and didn't push for more.

"The parameters were fine," Krei said suddenly, sounding like he wanted to keep talking and was confessing something. "But…it was an unstable project," he admitted. "It had successful sessions and ones not so successful. We managed to lessen the unsuccessful sessions until they were minimal, and this normally would be great and considered a success for most projects, enough to give it more advanced trials, but…as the project was considered more dangerous and unconventional than most projects were, we should have taken a more careful path and gone to make sure an absolute 100% success rate was guaranteed. Needless to say, the first advanced trial was held in front of government officials and the parameters were in range, up until it suddenly became unstable and things went wrong. Needless to say, the project was shut down and…and we lost someone," his voice faltered, and she could tell he blamed himself. "We lost Robert's daughter."

Hiro bit her lip after hearing about the project, and then at hearing about Professor Callaghan's loss. And yet…

"Everyone knew what they were getting into, right? They knew the dangers and risks, and I'm sure they all signed contracts…" Hiro stiffly shrugged, pursing her lips. "It's not wholly your fault."

When he gave her a look of surprise, Hiro winced and almost slapped a hand against her face.

"Sorry," she apologized. "My brother says sometimes I get too logical and cold about things."

Krei shook his head. "No, it…it helps a bit. I guess, since I haven't talked about it with anyone since the whole thing happened, it's just been…bottled up."

They awkwardly sat there a moment, avoiding looking at each other and continuing to eat silently.

"G-good food."

"Hm, yes, the cooks are wonderful and did a great job."

Yeah, things didn't become weird then. Right.

Started 8/9/16 – Completed 8/10/16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm hoping that after one more chapter (or at least two), this'll go into the main movie storyline and it'll hopefully be easier to update. In any case, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and please remember to review~


	5. The Bonds We Have

It was her lunch break and she'd wanted to visit Tadashi. Ever since she'd come back to San Fransokyo and started work, Tadashi had been searching for a job of his own. However, currently, there really wasn't any jobs that were willing to hire a full-time student. At most, Tadashi was starting work at Aunt Cassie's café and taking on all of Hiro's former duties since she was working more and more at Krei Tech. The lack of hiring, though, still rather depressed him, so she wanted to surprise him with a visit to cheer him up.

Only, as she stood in his workroom, he wasn't there.

Pouting, she debated whether to stay there or to go looking for him. She also had to think about time, since she was only on a lunch break and she only had so much time before she had to end up heading back to work. She at least wanted to be able to say hi to her brother before she had to leave.

"Mr. Hamada –oh." Hiro turned to the door to see Professor Callaghan there. "Hiro, I didn't expect to see you. Visiting your brother?"

"Trying to at least," her voice came out hesitant, and she sort of shifted awkwardly in place while she kept glancing shyly at the professor.

He smiled kindly at her. "Now, Hiro, you don't need to be all shy around me."

Hiro blushed. "Sorry, sir. It's just that I really admire you and your work, and it's really strange to just be talking to you like this, especially so casually."

His smile widened and became amused, and he walked further into the room and sat down.

"Thank you. I'm glad to have such an admirer. But really, I'm just a normal man. Now you on the other hand…you're so young and you've already accomplished so much!"

That made Hiro's cheeks darken even more. Still, what Krei had said to her that one night…No, she shouldn't say anything. It wasn't any of her concern and she was just being nosy, interfering with their business.

"Ah, well, I actually got into your work because of bot-fighting," she admitted. "It's a hobby I still really like doing."

Professor Callaghan laughed. "Is that so? My daughter loved bot-fighting too. In fact, Abigail was a lot like you…"

Hiro bit her lip. Oh, but this was the best opening! And _he_ was the one who brought her up.

"You had a daughter?" she asked tentatively.

Professor Callaghan frowned. "…I had a daughter. I lost her a year ago."

Hiro stayed quiet for a moment before she spoke up again. "What…what was she like?"

He seemed to lighten up a little at that. "Like I said, a lot like you. Kind, witty, responsible, sweet…smart." He chuckled then. "Though not to the extent of you, I admit. But it would be hard for anyone to be able to match _your_ brains."

Hiro's blush came back.

To her luck and curiosity, he ended up staying a while with her, up until she realized she had only a little time left and she needed to get back to work.

"Ah! I'm going to be late!" She winced and stood up from her chair abruptly.

Professor Callaghan looked startled and then disappointed. "You have to go?"

She rubbed the back of her head. "Yeah. I just came here on my lunch break to visit Tadashi. Thank you for keeping me company instead," she bowed. "I really have to go! Goodbye!"

She didn't want to be rude, but she practically fled out of there. Just as she made it back, she realized she hadn't even managed to ask Professor Callaghan to mention her attempted visit to Tadashi.

She sighed to herself.

* * *

Now that she was back at work, Hiro had been idly working on some specs for an idea she had, swishing her seat back and forth in boredom as she slouched lazily in it.

"Bored already?" an amused voice asked.

She yawned, grabbing one of the paper footballs she'd made earlier, and flicking it over her desk. She missed her colleagues snickering and shaking their heads.

"A little," she mumbled, rubbing at her eyes.

"Maybe I should assign harder work," he laughed.

She blinked and looked up, almost falling off her seat in her haste to stand when she saw her boss there. Good thing he'd quickly reached to steady her.

She blushed. "Er, thanks…"

"Mmhm," Krei still wore an amused look. "So can I take a look at what you're working on?"

Hiro coughed and moved the specs more out in display on her desk. "Tadashi and I were planning on a Bond marathon and I ended up thinking about spy inventions. Then I was thinking of invisible shields and then started calculating ranges and strengths of force fields, and I was thinking of creating wristbands that can activate force field protection around a person and be invisible so it's not so obvious to an enemy," she finally finished.

Krei blinked. "…Oh."

"Are we supposed to help with that?" someone whispered.

"Oh God, I already feel anxious."

"My _palms_ are _sweating_."

Hiro blushed again, while Krei coughed. "Er, don't work your team _too_ hard." He cleared his throat. "Anyway, I came here for another reason. There's a showcase coming up at your university. I usually go to see prospective inventions I might invest in, but it would be nice if you'd accompany me and offer a second opinion. I would also appreciate it if you could create something specifically to show off at the showcase, so that the company can create publicity and promote us."

Hiro was surprised, but also intrigued. "Sure, I'll come with you. And depending on how far away the showcase is, I think I can come up and create something for a display."

Krei clapped his hands. "Excellent! I look forward to it. Now…if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to my own work before Uncle reprimands me for slacking off and skipping work. See you soon!"

He turned to leave, but then paused. "One more thing –don't forget to eat!"

Hiro opened her mouth to argue her eating habits were fine, but he shook his head. "Never mind," he then turned to her subordinates. "Make sure she eats."

"Yes, sir!" everyone chorused.

Hiro grumbled.

* * *

When she finally clocked out of work that day and headed back home, she was early for once. Aunt Cassie made some special food for her and Tadashi to enjoy, and the siblings ended up having dinner in their room, while their aunt continued working in the café downstairs. At the moment, Hiro was gorging on Aunt Cassie's special hot wings, eyes watering.

Tadashi watched in disgusted amusement. "Ew. Also, I think you're going to end up barfing. In fact, I think _I'm_ going to barf just from watching you."

Hiro glared at her brother. And, just to spite him, she grabbed two drumsticks and began eating both of them at the same time. Tadashi made a face.

Claiming victory in here head, she thought that was going to be it and she was going to be able to enjoy her hot wings in peace, when she saw the look on her brother's face and she became wary, thinking something was up.

"So, um," Tadashi started hesitantly. "My friends and I were planning on hanging out…" Hiro looked at him suspiciously. "I was wondering if you wanted to come?" He looked at her hopefully and Hiro flinched. She wasn't sure about that. She still wasn't great at socializing, even if she'd been working on that all these years and getting better about it.

Still, with her brother looking at her like that, she didn't want to disappoint him.

"Okay," she reluctantly answered, feeling like she was going to regret that.

Tadashi beamed at her. "Great! We're going to be going to the bowling alley this Friday, okay?"

Damn it, she sucked at bowling!

* * *

Still grumbling about earlier, when Tadashi had fallen asleep, Hiro had searched up some bot-fights online to cheer herself up and maybe have a little fun that night. Now, Hiro was fiddling with her bot, watching the current fights in boredom. They were all lackluster and unexciting, and that Yama guy was full of himself. She wanted to bring him down a peg or two. Or just all the way down to his knees.

She also admitted she had a really bad habit of hustling.

Feigning naivety and amateur-ness, she stepped forward and called out.

"Hey! I'd like to try?" She smiled brightly, eyes widened.

She heard snickers and jeers, but she ignored that and focused on the pretty referee and on Yama, intent on getting to be the next challenger.

"Go away, little girl," Yama said dismissively. "Play with dolls."

Hiro inwardly bristled, but kept on her smile, even as she added a little pout.

"Come on! Let me try please? Here, I've got money." She held up some crumpled money, waving it around enticingly.

Yama scoffed, but the greed in his eyes was unmistakable. The pretty referee lady shrugged and held out the basket that contained the money pot.

"Your funeral, kid," she told Hiro dryly.

Hiro's smile just went bigger at that.

Though she purposely lost, she sighed and faked a weak grin.

"Can I try again? Please?"

Yama sneered. "Don't beg, brat! It's unbecoming."

Hiro looked 'sad.' She held up a neatly rolled up bundle of cash. "Not even for more money?"

There was that greedy look again. Hiro had to keep herself from smirking.

"What an idiot! Fine then. Don't come crying to me when you lose."

This time, Hiro didn't hold back. Her plain bot's smiley face turned devilish and she didn't contain her unholy glee as her bot ripped apart the other's. Yama and everyone else gaped, before the big man's face grew alarmingly red as Hiro was handed the money. She hid it on herself, while Yama and his goons stomped over to her.

"No one cheats Yama!" he yelled out obnoxiously.

"What are you talking about?" Hiro sniffed disdainfully. "Because I have _no_ clue," she lied.

"Why you!" He reached to grab her, when a moped crashed into the crowd and raced towards her.

Hiro felt herself be picked up by the back of her collar, before she was yanked onto the moving moped.

"Damn it, Hiro! Really? Why are you even here?! You have a job! What's the point of gambling?"

"Because it's fun, Tadashi," she told her brother cheerfully, even as they were being chased down. "Ugh, Hiro!"

They were almost scot-free, when the police suddenly showed up and had corned the bot-fighting group, along with Tadashi and Hiro right in the front.

"Oh man," Hiro pouted while Tadashi moaned.

Everyone ended up getting arrested and dragged off to jail, where they were put into a cell. Hiro was put into one alone, opposite the older bot-fighters (and poor Tadashi), since she was still underage.

"What are we going to do?" Tadashi pulled at his hair. "We're in _jail_! What are we going to tell Aunt Cassie?"

Hiro blinked, grinning as she got an idea. "Leave that to me."

Tadashi gave her a look of confusion.

However, a half hour later after Hiro had complained about not getting her phone call "that she was entitled to," Tadashi understood, even as he gaped at the sight of the famous business tycoon standing there in front of them in a police station.

Hiro waved. "Hey, boss! Can you bail me and my brother out?"

Krei sighed and looked at her in amusement, glancing over at the other cell full of inmates that were frozen and watching disbelievingly (and also gaping incredulously at him). He was already ignoring the shocked police surrounding them.

"I knew you were going to be a troublesome employee," he shook his head. He turned to an officer. "I'm going to post her and her brother's bail."

"N-no need," he said, blinking slowly. "As a minor and without any prior infractions, she's being let off with a warning. Her brother was found not guilty of anything, from others' testimonies."

"Good. Can you let them out already then?" he raised an eyebrow.

They scrambled to do so and soon enough, Tadashi and Hiro were let out of their cells and walking out of there with Krei, who merely snorted and shook his head again.

"Boss," one of Yama's goons said faintly.

"Yeah?" Yama was still staring in the direction the trio had left.

"Was that really Alistair Krei?

"Yeah."

"…Oh…"

"Tell me about it," one of the police mumbled.

From the exit, one could hear her say "Hey, Tadashi! At least we don't have to tell Aunt Cassie anything!"

Started 10/12/16 – Completed 10/13/16


	6. Strike Out

Hiro was yawning as she entered the building, having gone out to snag some lunch. She figured that she needed an energy boost, and some _taiyaki_ would be awesome to gear her up. She got some for her team too, so they better not complain about her putting them to work –

She stopped short, staring dumbly at the scene in front of her. Yes, the couple was quiet and not attracting obvious attention to themselves, but…Hiro could see in the way the woman flinched every time the other came leaning closer, the way the man was furiously whispering, the grip he had on her arm…

" _You're so stupid! You couldn't cook dinner right!"_

" _I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"_

Hiro closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She didn't want to go back to those memories. She didn't want to remember staying up all those late nights and the thin walls of her apartment.

"Hiro?"

A gentle hand questioningly touched her shoulder and she flinched, before shaking her head and looking up to see Krei looking down at her worriedly. His hand slowly moved off of her, having noted the reaction. He looked over to where she had been looking at and she nibbled at her lip.

"Problem over there?" he asked quietly.

"…No. Maybe. I don't know." Hiro closed her eyes and rubbed at them tiredly. "I don't know," she repeated. "I can't hear anything."

"But you can see them," he concluded.

She stayed quiet, which she knew gave him all the answer he needed anyway. Slowly again, making sure it was in sight, his hand approached her once more and touched her shoulder.

"Let's go," he said softly and she reluctantly followed him to an elevator, after one last glance at the couple.

Even in the elevator though, she didn't want to talk. She kept thinking about the past and she continued to dig herself into it, right up until the elevator stopped and she realized that she was on a floor she'd never been before. In fact, looking at the numbers, she realized she was at the topmost floor and what was probably Krei's office floor.

He led the way into his office, passed his secretary (who only gave a quick glance at them before returning to his duties at the computer), and into the spacious office that took up more than half that floor. The doors closed behind her and she awkwardly stood by them while he walked over to his desk and started shuffling papers.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked suddenly and she looked at him in surprise. But he merely took the papers he'd been putting together and neatly put them to the side, where he then sat on the edge of his desk and waved towards a chair near him. She cautiously moved towards it, sitting down thoughtfully.

He _had_ shared something rather personal with her that night…and well, after seeing what she did a few minutes ago, she really wasn't stable about things at the moment.

"It's not like I can be sure of anything," she started out uncertainly. "I just walked in on that scene and there were a ton of people around in the lobby, and not a one of them saw anything wrong. But I just saw the way she was scared of him, the way his hand was holding onto her too tightly, and the furious look on his face…"

He kept quiet but gave a sharp nod, silently admitting he'd seen the same things. She relaxed, glad someone else saw it too and that she wasn't just seeing things. She swallowed harshly.

"It was like this before too," she told him. "When I first left San Fransokyo. I stayed in Dubai and had a nice, small apartment. I only had neighbors to my left and they seemed like a sweet couple. But it wasn't long until I could hear their shouting and the loud thuds and yells."

Her hands clenched on her lap and she felt her eyes tearing up. "I was 13 and I didn't realize there were couples like that. I didn't know what to do. All I could do was listen to them fighting or him just yelling at her, and then her screams when he beat her. She kept saying 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry' and I couldn't get it out of my head and –"

She hadn't realized her hands were pressing hard against her head or that she had closed her eyes, until she felt large, smooth hands gently prying hers off of her ears and she'd opened her eyes to see Krei kneeling before her.

She sniffled. "Seeing that couple in the lobby just reminded me of the couple I'd lived next to, and it just really got to me. Sorry. I should've been focused on work, Mr. Krei."

"Hey now, I told you in the beginning to call me Alistair, right?" he gave a small grin. But a serious look took over his face quickly. "This was important and I understand. You work diligently and hard anyway, and I have no problems with your splitting attention for anything, this especially. Besides…"

He gently ruffled her hair and gave a solemn look. "No man should _ever_ put his hands on a woman like that, especially in a domestic setting or in a relationship. No one should be putting their hands on anyone like that, period. Man or woman –you can't say you love someone and hit them in the same breadth. That's wrong."

She blinked up teary-eyed at him and bit her lip, nodding in understanding.

"'Course, then you have your classic hero-villain pairing and that's more complicated," Krei said and it was so bizarre that it made her laugh in surprise. "I mean, there's Catwoman and Batman, Buffy and Spike…I'm not even going to touch on Joker and Harley Quinn because that's a classic, _dysfunctional_ pairing –"

She started to giggle and he smiled faintly.

"I didn't catch you as a superhero fan," she said, grateful for the subject change.

He smiled brightly. "Are you kidding? I must show you my collection of superhero collectible figures now. Come along then!"

He took her hand and led her off to the side, where he moved some wooden panels and she was amazed to see some really impressively made figures. He pointed to a huge Gundam model set that she stared at in awe.

"Now see, this here I put together piece by piece and painted when I was 7 years old, and partly why I like bot-fighting a lot…"

She listened patiently and with a smile as he pointed out all of his collection, feeling much better than she had earlier.

* * *

Krei waited for the phone to answer with a scowl, only sighing in relief when his uncle finally picked up.

"Alistair? What is it? Are you slacking off again and calling me in boredom?" James huffed on the other line.

Krei grumbled under his breath. "No," he answered grumpily. "And that was just that one time."

"Yes, but it was one time too many. If you're not bugging me, then are you bugging Hiro? I've heard you've taken to visiting her floor often. I hope you're not distracting her."

"I'm not!" he answered indignantly. "…I don't think so?" Well, he didn't think he was. She seemed pretty much on it, every time he took to taking a trip down to there. "Anyway, never mind that, Uncle James."

"Oh, what's wrong then?"

Krei scrutinized the top of his desk. "Did you ever hear about Hiro living next door to…to a couple –"

"That was in the midst of domestic abuse?" his uncle finished gravely, which pretty much told Krei yes. "She only lived there for four months, given what she was experiencing and what happened in the end."

"Happened?" Krei tensed.

"The wife was eventually beaten to death. Hiro blamed herself since she had heard all of it and had suspected things, but hadn't known what to do and had never gone to tell someone. A few weeks after it happened, Hiro moved to another country."

"I see," he murmured.

"I'm surprised she told you any of that," James admitted. "She's been pretty tight-lipped about her travels and I only know some of it, and that's only because I had to get involved at times. What brought it up?"

"I have some employees I need to track down and deal with," Krei said firmly, gaining a determined glint in his eyes. "I'll talk to you later, Uncle."

"…Alright. Good luck then, Alistair."

Krei hung up and then took a deep breath. He was going to have to look at the lobby's security tapes.

It basically took the whole day, but he'd managed to find out which two employees had been the center of his and Hiro's attention that morning, and he ended up going to Anya Townson's department, seeing the pretty red-headed woman working at her station, drawing up schematics for new designs for new bot models.

"Mrs. Townson?"

She blinked in confusion and tiredness, looking up and gaping when she saw him. She stood up quickly.

"Mr. Krei! W-what can I do for you?"

"I'd like to have a private word with you for a moment," he said solemnly and she nervously came over to him. He led her to a more private area and then started to speak.

"Mrs. Townson, it has come to my attention that you and your husband might be…having domestic issues," when she looked distressed, he hurried to finish. "I can promise you help," he said firmly. "Just tell me you need it and I can promise you your husband won't ever lay a hand on you again."

She still looked distressed, wringing her hands. "I-I don't know. Gregori doesn't mean it…he just has a temper and he gets jealous easily…It's not his fault."

Krei refrained from frowning, keeping an encouraging look on his face instead. "He shouldn't hit you ever. For whatever reason. I can't force you, but I promise you my door is open. Don't be afraid to come to me and ask for help."

She looked exhausted as she nodded, and he wished that these kind of things didn't happen. But the world wasn't a nice place, and it made him wonder and worry what else did Hiro learn about and experience in the time she was gone.

He only hoped this had been the least of her worries.

* * *

Thankfully, Anya Townson hadn't taken long to make up her mind and had gone to Krei's office, asking him to help deal with her husband. He first set her up at a hotel room to stay in, reported her husband to the police, and then (with his contacts and influence) was quick to get her on the road to getting a divorce and having her ex-husband thrown into prison. If need be, when the time came for him to be released from prison, Krei'd find some other way to deal with the man and/or have Anya transferred to a different location so she was far away and couldn't be found.

There was a knock on his door and Hiro's head peeked in. She gave a shy wave.

"I, um, heard about Mrs. Townson and what you did," she muttered, cheeks red and a small smile on her lips. "Thanks for helping her out."

"Of course," he returned her small smile with one of his own. "Besides, I would never allow that kind of behavior in my employees and don't condone abuse in any way."

Her smile grew a little bigger, he noted in satisfaction. She stepped into his office fully.

"So, um…my brother wants me to go out bowling with him and his friends," she said hesitantly. "I suck at bowling and I'm not too good around people either. I was wondering if you, uh, wanted to come with me?"

He was caught off guard by the other and the offer, but found himself feeling pleased about it too. He smiled widely at her, all teeth as he gave her his answer.

"Why not? It's been a while since I last went bowling. It'll be fun."

She looked like she hadn't expected his answer, but she quickly gained a delighted look on her face.

"Great! See you at the café tomorrow at 7?"

"See you then," he answered and then she was amusingly skipping away from his office, humming a silly song.

This should definitely be fun.

* * *

Tadashi was a little put out that Hiro wanted him to go ahead, instead of coming to the bowling alley with him. It made him wonder if she was planning on skipping out on him…but Hiro _had_ promised she'd come and she wasn't fickle with her promises.

"So, your sister…"

Tadashi sighed and looked over to Honey Lemon, who was grinning so excitedly he thought she might start breaking out into song or something. She'd done that before and it had startled him so much he'd nearly messed up the code he'd been working on, in regards to Baymax.

"She's coming," Tadashi reassured the other, even though he wasn't actually too sure of that.

"She's adorable," Honey Lemon clapped her hands, giggling giddily. "I'm really glad she agreed to come."

GoGo popped a bubblegum bubble, raising an eyebrow with a small grin. "I'm surprised she did. She's so skittish and you did say she's not too happy trying to hang around people."

"She's working on it," Tadashi shrugged. "And I'm her favorite brother! Of course she'd say yes to me."

"I thought you were her only brother?" Fred asked in confusion.

"Psh, he is," Wasabi snorted into his drink. "Tadashi's just being weird about his sister again."

"Someone's got a sister complex~" Honey Lemon sing-songed, teasing him.

His face flushed red. "I do not!" he protested.

His friends all burst into laughter at him, though thankfully that was when Hiro approached and cut that off. Unfortunately, she had someone with her that Tadashi didn't recognize and who he glared at with suspicion.

Gray sweats and worn trainers, the guy had a blue-gray hoodie zipped up all the way and his hood up, covering a baseball cap that hid the color of his hair. He further looked like a strange weirdo with his sunglasses on (inside the bowling alley?) and which covered his eyes completely.

Tadashi scowled and stood up. Who was this loser and why was he with Hiro?!

He was _so_ going to find out.

Started 10/19/16 – Completed 10/20/16


	7. Gutter Lane is Open

Tadashi tried not to let it look like he was storming over, but by the look on his sister's face and the way she tried to hide behind this mysterious man, it was obvious he probably looked thunderous. However, mystery man looked completely unphased by Tadashi and merely kept smiling slightly, as if he were at home. Tadashi inwardly huffed.

By the time he reached their side, Tadashi forced a "friendly" smile on his face. "Hello! _Hiro_ , Mister…?"

"Nice to meet you," the man said quietly, voice sounding off. "Again."

Again?

Tadashi was confused and it probably showed. He wasn't getting answers! Just more questions.

"So, Hiro, you're a little later. Were you waiting for…" He glanced at the guy, again trying to get the man's name while figuring out his relation to his sister.

"Um, yeah," Hiro answered uncomfortably. "I invited him yesterday and I was waiting for him at the café to meet up before heading here."

"I wouldn't suppose you could tell me how you two met?" he prodded.

Hiro gave him a confused look. "We met during a work meeting."

"So you two work together?" Tadashi grilled, narrowing his eyes.

The man chuckled, making Tadashi scowl.

"I know I'm trying to disguise myself, Mr. Hamada, but I would hope you were familiar enough with me," the man said oddly and then he slightly tilted his sunglasses down a little, revealing more of his face.

Tadashi froze up, mind screeching to a halt as he stared at Alistair Krei, who was looking at him in amusement.

"Did we break him?" Hiro queried as Krei slipped the sunglasses back properly on his face.

"We might have," Krei answered lightly. "I apologize, Mr. Hamada, but Hiro asked to have some sort of support for…this get together. As one of my favorite employees, I of course couldn't refuse. Besides, I quite like bowling! And it really has been awhile."

"Y-yes, I see," Tadashi said dazedly. "You're very welcome, Mr. Krei. Um, please come with us and meet the others."

He was still stuck on Hiro's boss actually being there and apparently going to go bowling with them.

Apparently, he managed to scrape enough brain cells to move his body back to the others, letting his sister and Krei follow along on their own.

"Guys," he heard himself say faintly. "My sister and…her friend." Honestly, he wasn't sure if Krei wanted anyone else to realize he was there. Tadashi had been able to (and should've known, just by the little company Hiro kept) figure it was Krei eventually, but the others didn't know him and didn't know that Hiro knew him. If he was trying to keep a low profile, then it was obviously supposed to be just him and Hiro knowing anything about Krei being there.

"Um…hi?" Honey Lemon hesitantly greeted, the friendliest of the group.

"Hello," Krei said smoothly, voice slightly deeper like it had been initially when greeting Tadashi. "I'm Alistair. Pleased to meet you all."

Hiro waved shyly at them from slightly behind Krei.

"Alrighty then!" Honey Lemon continued to break the ice, smiling brightly at everyone. "We're going to be in pairs. Fred is sitting the game out, so we'll draw straws."

Tadashi didn't know whether to huff or gape at his luck, seeing as how Honey Lemon and Wasabi were paired up, heand Go Go made a pair…and Krei and Hiro were partners.

He almost decided on a pout instead. Why couldn't he be Hiro's partner?

He was still grumbling to himself about it as the game started. However, steadily, he began to notice a pattern. Hiro, expectedly, wasn't all too good at bowling. However, Krei was surprisingly actually pretty good at it.

That and also, apparently, he and Go Go had slowly started to get more and more aggressive against each other in playing, trying to one-up each other in the game. Tadashi was a fair player…but he wasn't as good as those two, and he obviously couldn't keep up. By then, he just bowled for his turn, trying his best, but had eventually settled for and watched in astonishment as Krei and Go Go overtook the game and just plain took over. Even Wasabi and Honey Lemon, though they bowled when their turns came up, knew they were clearly not considered in the competition anymore.

He sweatdropped as he watched, with Go Go smoothly bowling her ball down the lane and getting a near strike. Her second time ended up clearing the rest of the pins. Then Krei went up and, oppositely the smooth bowling of Go Go, powered the bowling ball down the lane and knocking all the pins down in a strike.

To be honest, he would have thought their bowling styles would have been switched. Go Go was abrasive and was all for full throttle, and be more of a Cranker than Krei. However, she bowled like a Stroker, more focused on smooth delivery and timing and less hook on the ball. Krei, a smooth talker and businessman, was actually the Cranker and hooked the ball and created more revolutions with it than he'd thought possible. Though, a lot of times, Tadashi was pretty sure that Krei actually bowled like a Power Stroker, and was in between the two bowling types…

"I'm a little intimidated," Hiro said from beside him, and he turned to see her staring at the bowling two (the rest of them had given up and gotten rid of their turns, letting the two go at it).

"I _am_ intimidated."

"Good point."

The siblings gave out matching sighs and watched their friends glaring at each other and then turn back to bowl vehemently against each other, their competitiveness reaching an all-time high.

The game, thankfully to all onlookers (they'd drawn a crowd somehow), finally ended and the final score was doled out. To Krei's smugness, Tadashi's disappointment, Go Go's even bigger disappointment, and Hiro's absolute delight, Team Kreihiro won the bowling game.

Even though Hiro had barely done anything.

"We won!" Hiro cheered, throwing her hands in the air and then finding herself skipping over to Krei and glomping onto his arm. "We won!"

"We did," Krei nodded, and Tadashi twitched and wanted to point out that Hiro didn't bowl for much of the game and Krei didn't have to indulge her. Even if that was something Tadashi ended up doing all the time…

Hiro giggled and looked brighter and more alive than he'd seen her since she'd come back though. Maybe he'd keep his mouth shut…

* * *

Krei was amused at himself, finding that he'd immaturely been pulled into a bowling contest by that girl and getting so riled up over a game. He didn't think he'd ever acted like that before, at least not since he was a child. It was even kind of funny.

Sure he tended to get competitive over things, but with these kids more or less half his age? And over bowling? If the press had gotten a hand on this story…He shook his head.

"Thanks for the ride," Tadashi thanked him, still glancing at him hesitantly from his side.

Hiro popped up between them and their seats, turning to him with a grin.

"Yeah, thanks! And thanks for us winning!"

"You didn't do crap to help win, you brat!"

Hiro turned to her brother and stuck out her tongue. Suddenly, she gained a look that said she had an idea, and she was turning back to Krei again.

"Hey, you can come over our house and check out Tadashi's Baymax."

Krei made an interested noise. Baymax? He had no idea what that was, but if there was one fact he knew, the Hamada siblings were very intelligent (Hiro was such a no brainer when it came to that), so it should prove to be a remarkable experience. "That sounds quite interesting. Is that alright with you, Mr. Hamada?"

Tadashi looked like he'd been surprised by the situation he now found himself in. "Uh-oh-y-yes! S-sure, of course, Mr. Krei. I'd love to have you take a look at him and hear what you think?"

A 'him?' Krei felt even more curious at that.

He neared the café and found a parking spot, to which the siblings piled out of his car clumsily while Krei calmly and smoothly exited out of it and made his way to their side. Together, they went towards the darkened café, since it was way passed the café's opened hours. They tried to navigate their way through the dark café, only occasionally bumping into the tables and other objects in the way, up until they found the stairs and went up them. The flat above the café was also dark, so they assumed Aunt Cassie had already gone to bed. Not wanting to disturb her, they doubly tried to keep quiet as they went towards another set of stairs and went up the last floor to where Hiro and Tadashi slept.

"Tadashi, flip on the lights," Hiro whispered.

"Hold on," Tadashi grumbled. "And you don't have to whisper now. We're high enough that we can get away with at least talking normally."

He flipped on the light and Krei was treated to where they stayed, seeing the entire floor belonging to the siblings. In one corner, there was a computer all set up at a computer desk and perpendicular to that was a bed. He could see little knick-knacks, but it was less personalized than say the other part of the room, parallel to that side. There was a dark screen to separate and give some privacy, but it was semi slid open and revealed a side that was much more lived in. There were tons of pictures of Tadashi and of his friends, and even more of his sister. There were tons of notebooks and papers scattered about, and the bed was obviously quickly made.

He could see that Hiro was less inclined to make a place for herself and try to leave a mark to show she lived there. It was almost as if she hadn't wanted to or really just didn't care to make where she was staying in look like home or be a place she cared about or liked being. It made him feel a little sad about it, and wonder if her constant traveling and living in one place and then just ready to pack and go and live in another had anything to do with it.

"So check this out," Hiro told him, breaking through his thoughts as she dragged over a red box from Tadashi's side of the room, while said male just rolled his eyes and watched, not bothering to offer any help to his sister.

"Arm?" she grinned, grinning widely as she held out her hand.

Though he raised an eyebrow, he said nothing. Still, he was a little confused when she got out a piece of duct tape.

Tadashi's eyes widened and he shouted, "Hiro, don't you dare –!"

But she had already placed the duct tape firmly onto Krei's arm, sleeves pulled up and all, and before Krei could yank his arm away in alarm, she had jerked the duct tape off of him. He yelped loudly and was about to question her incredulously on what she did, when the red box suddenly activated and some white thing began to inflate out of it. He watched in surprise and wariness, and then curiosity as it formed into a humanoid figure.

"Hello, I'm Baymax, your personal healthcare provider. On a count between 1 to 10, how do you rate your pain?"

Fascinated, Krei then found himself answering the robot's questions, and allowing the treatment he provided him. And then he began grilling the siblings and even Baymax himself, who seemed capable of actually answering him on his own.

"This is amazing," Krei said after, still gazing at Baymax in awe. "If you ever decide to patent this and sell it en masse, you should think about marketing it towards the hospitals and especially small clinics. Schools too, who might need a nurse stand-in, can benefit from having one to take care of the basic needs of children in school. It might not be such a good idea to completely replace humans in the healthcare industry with these, but these things could definitely help out when the workload needs lightening up or second opinions or suggestions could be warranted and these Baymax robots could provide those easily."

"Y-you really think so?" Tadashi stammered.

"Of course he does," Hiro said smugly and gave Krei a proud look. She should be proud –pushing her brother's confidence and allowing him to shine for once with Baymax and his own intelligence, and proud of her brother obviously.

"If you ever decide you need someone to manufacture these and help in attaining deals and contracts, you can always have your sister tell me or come to me yourself, Mr. Hamada," he smiled reassuringly at the young man. "This is a fantastic and very helpful invention."

Tadashi proudly beamed back at him, and Krei wondered how in the world he'd managed to find and meet these two.

Completely smarter than him and yet more than younger. He was a little bit envious.

The three of them chatted some more, before Tadashi called it a night and went to sleep. Krei and Hiro toyed with the idea of heading to a bot-fight, searching for a location on the computer, when Hiro spoke up in the midst of their search.

"Hey, want to see what I'm working on for the Krei Tech display?"

He blinked. "Wait, you've already come up with an idea and started on it?"

Hiro smirked. "I did," she said surely. "It still has some kinks and stuff, but I'm working on it and it should be finished by the time the showcase comes around."

She tossed him something and he caught it neatly, curiously peering at what looked like a smaller version of a limb from her bot-fighter.

"I call them 'microbots.'"

Started 10/30/16 – Completed 11/1/16


	8. It's a Little Step Further

Hiro moved the stick around in her mouth, tonguing the thing in thought (and fervently wishing that there was more chocolate cake pop for her to nibble on instead of the stupid stick), eying the prototype and the designs specs. Looking back and forth between the two, Hiro's frown grew deeper.

Behind her, her subordinates nervously waited.

"I approve," she announced, though she wished she'd been able to oversee the .e.L.D project more. It couldn't be helped since she had been a lot more focused on the project she had been working on for the Krei Tech display showcase at the SFIT Innovative Convention, and everyone there had promised to work on this project while she was busy.

Cheers answered her and she smiled at them. It felt nice to have a group of people to rely on her and for her to rely on. She didn't feel so awkward with them and even managed to feel safe and secure with her team, when she knew she was normally a shut-in.

"Good job, Team!" she told them. "Let's work on it a little more and then we'll present it for review, and hope it passes inspection and can move onto trials."

"I take it things are going well in your R&D department," she heard beside her and she nearly jumped a foot into the air in shock. Seeing just Krei there, she gave him an annoyed glare, taking the stick out of her mouth and pointing it at him.

"You! Don't go sneaking up on people! I almost had a heart attack," she huffed.

Shaking her head, she gestured at her team, all of whom had gone scurrying back to their stations and back to work (or pretending to) once they saw that Alistair Krei had once again entered their floor level (geez, she thought they'd be used to it by now, what with the man popping in so frequently all the time). She also knew that part of the pretending had something to do with them wanting to listen in and eavesdrop, but not be obvious about it, those nosy, gossiping punks.

"They've been able to develop a working prototype for the S.H.i.e.L,D project and I was just going to tell them that we could now start on working out any last minute kinks and trying on making it as stable and workable as possible, to get it approve for testing trials."

"Sounds good," Krei nodded. "As soon as you have a prototype that's workable and won't fail in the middle of testing, I'll start searching for investors. Maybe see if I can reach out to the government again…"

"It's workable," Hiro told him. "But it works 6 out of 10 times."

"Make it 8 out of 10, then we're talking," Krei grinned at her.

"I'm making the final adjustments on my other project," she said. "So I can work on this and make it _10_ out of 10."

At that though, Krei perked up and leaned closer. "So you've finished work on those microbots?"

She looked warily at him. "Yeah, pretty much. Why?"

Krei brightened up. "Won't you let me see them already?"

"I did."

"In action."

"No."

Krei full-on pouted then and it was strange but hilariously adorable that she had to laugh at him.

"You can see them at work during the showcase," Hiro said firmly, though she was smiling widely at him.

"But I would like to see them now," Krei prodded some more.

"Nope."

He sighed while she just kept smiling, feeling more and more amused by the minute. Krei had become increasingly persistent in seeing her work, even when it wasn't finished, after she'd shown off her design and idea for the microbots. He reminded her of a puppy sometimes though, hence why it was less annoying and more funny and kind of cute.

"Oh, alright," he said resignedly, but she didn't trust that since he'd sounded and acted like that before, only for him to regain his previous persistence when she least expected it. "Have you eaten lunch?"

Hiro looked at him blankly.

He turned behind him and picked up the plastic bag on the desk. He held it up and gave her a look.

"Geez, why do you always get on me about eating?" Hiro huffed, but she grabbed the bag from him.

"Because you will forget or ignore eating when you're working," he replied. "So it's my duty and your subordinates' to make sure you eat."

She glared at him and then her employees when they stared at her pointedly, before grumbling under her breath.

"Okay, okay," she shrugged. "Lunch break."

"We had ours. Your turn, Boss," one of them said, giving her a look.

She turned sheepish and went off to the break room, with Krei following her. In there, she took out the plastic and foam containers, looking to see what he got her this time.

"Mm! Classic burger and fries," she hummed in delight. "Yummy."

"I didn't know what you liked so I just got you something plain," he told her. "Meat, cheese, and buns. Condiments right there, if you want."

She took off the top bun and looked for the ketchup. He made a face as he watched her grab packets of ketchup and cover her meat patty with it, practically dousing it with the sauce. She put some minced up onions on it after before replacing the top bun and grabbing it, biting into it with enthusiasm.

"That's…"

"Really good," Hiro ended for him, after swallowing her bite and smiling widely at him.

He smiled back feebly. She just ignored him and continued to chow down on the burger, easily devouring it after a few minutes had passed.

"Huh, I must've been hungrier than I thought I was," she remarked in surprise.

Krei rolled his eyes at her. "You wouldn't be if you ate regularly. You should bring something to snack on while you're working."

She shrugged at that. "Maybe." She yawned then.

"You should take a nap," he suggested and she gave him a bland look.

"Really? I'm at work! And you're my boss. You shouldn't be suggesting something like that," she said in exasperation.

He chuckled. "I take naps all the time." He was the one shrugging then.

She stared. "What?"

"Sometimes, there's just nothing for me to do. And when I've worked late the night before or earlier in the day or morning, naps help to keep me fresh and ready to keep going. Keeps the mind ready and willing to work too."

Well, it made sense…But he was the boss. He could do that and get away with it! She was just a lowly employee!

"Really? You mean that?" she looked at him suspiciously.

He looked at her in confusion. "Why not? The health and wellbeing of my employees are important to me. They should all be in tip top condition in order for them to be working to their fullest."

She nodded and stood up abruptly. She went to the entrance of the breakroom and leaned her head out of it.

"Hey! Starting today, I'm starting a new 'nap rule!' From the beginning of the workday, everyone gets to start to clock in periods of nap time with everyone getting half hour timed sessions! Three different half hour sessions through the day, got that? Okay? Okay! Me first!"

She turned back to Krei, who was looking at her incredulously, and gave him the v-sign.

"I'm totally out. See you in half an hour." She practically launched herself at the couch in the breakroom, set her phone to alarm her when time was up, and then settled in to find a comfortable position.

Krei stared a moment longer, before shaking his head and beginning to clean up. Well, he _had_ brought it up and gave her permission. And her department was probably one of, if not the most, hardworking and most successful divisions right now, so they all deserved that.

He still maintained that Hiro Hamada was probably the strangest employee he'd ever had though.

* * *

Going home early for once, Hiro had admitted it had been a long day after Krei had stopped by and made her eat lunch. After that, she had determinedly worked with the others to get the S.H.i.e.L.D prototype to a higher standard and they'd managed an increase to 85% certainty of working and its efficiency.

Which now left her to focus on her personal project for the Krei Tech showcase that was coming up soon.

Seeing as Aunt Cassie was asleep and Tadashi was still in SFIT, that left Hiro to her own devices. At the moment, she was in her garage, continuing tinkering with her microbots and putting the finishing touches on them. As before, when Krei was over the first time and saw them, her workspace was a mess. There were crumpled up pieces of paper everywhere, from all along her desk to everywhere on the floor. Given some thought to it, it was kind of embarrassing, more so since Krei had seen it as it was.

That still didn't motivate her to clean up.

Ah well, she'll just do that after this whole thing was over with. Then she can clear space to start over for a new project…and probably just end up back where she is now, surrounded by mess again. It was probably inevitable.

"I see you're working hard," she heard Tadashi say from behind her, and she eagerly turned around in her chair and spotted her brother watching her fondly.

"Tadashi! I thought you were going to be working late over at your school?" she asked.

"It is pretty late, you dork," he snorted as he walked over and leaned against her desk. "I suppose it's not 'your' kind of late, considering how late _you_ can be though. How's it going? You almost done?"

"Yep," she answered cheerfully. "Just a few more adjustments and I should be ready to go?"

Tadashi gave her a proud look. "You know, you've really done well for yourself, Hiro. You've…you've really grown up…" his voice grew solemn.

Hiro gave him a sad smile. "Have I?"

He gave a small nod, but then he reached over and ruffled her hair. "But you'll always be my otouto, you hear? No matter how much you grow!"

She laughed and leaned closer to him, hugging him tightly. "Baka nii-chan."

And she thought, if there was someone she could talk to about what happened over her travels and where she'd been, seen, and done, it would be Tadashi. And since she'd already told Krei about that couple, it was only right she told Tadashi too.

She hesitantly tugged at his shirt, bringing his attention fully on her.

"Hey…you know when I was gone? When I was traveling around, near the beginning, I met this couple…"

So she told him all about it and he listened patiently to her, face growing concerned but he never interrupted her. And at the end, when she finished, she couldn't help but add, "I became her only friend, Tadashi. And all I could do, all I did, was listen thorough the walls while they fought, while he hurt her, and I didn't do anything. I was never really sure of anything, I didn't really understand what was going on, but in the end, that I didn't do anything haunts me. Because I didn't do anything and she died and I feel like it's my fault and if only I could have just said something to someone –"

He pulled her closer, stopping her rambling. though she ended up starting to cry.

"Shh," he said quietly. "I understand, Hiro. It's not your fault. You couldn't understand what was happening and you were afraid. You was just too young to understand that those kind of things happen in life."

Still, though she felt a little comforted, she couldn't get rid of the feeling that it was her fault the other had died. But she didn't want to upset and make Tadashi sad, because she loved him and he was the best brother in the entire world.

Hiro figured it was best not to tell him about the other stuff that happened for now, because she didn't want to spring it all on Tadashi and make him feel as sad as she did sometimes.

Started 11/21/16 – Completed 11/29/16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, I meant to start the movie arc here, but I wanted more Tadashi/Hiro bonding before I get there, especially in regards to her past. So yeah! Another update for my birthday batch update tradition! I hope everyone liked this chapter and please remember to review! I tend to not be motivated to write without them~


	9. A Prelude to Darkness

"Uncle, what's this about?" Krei asked, amusing himself with a microbot Hiro had let him have. Of course, he couldn't actually do anything with it, but it was entertaining to just push it around and examine it, occasionally daydreaming about what could be done with a bunch of them.

"So I heard you went and picked up Hiro and her brother from jail," Uncle James said suddenly, not even bothering to sit down, and he winced.

"Ah, well, I personally thought it was amusing," Krei chuckled weakly.

"I have no issue about the situation and what you did, even if it would look out of place for you to personally involve yourself and go down to the police station yourself to retrieve them. It is, after all, one thing for her to call you to get them out of trouble, but another to go do something about it yourself," his uncle said seriously, giving him a frown. "But like I said, that's not even the issue that I am worried about. It's the ramifications of your actions that connect from the situation and to your…new usual habits these days."

Now Krei was thoroughly confused. What was his uncle on about now?

"You hang around Hiro a lot," Uncle James said gently. "You do so frequently and regularly that it's become more than a daily routine for you to come see her in her department. It's habit and people can more or less expect to find you there. That and with the fact that she actually thought to call you then and you went ahead to help her and her brother yourself, if people came to know about that time, it would start rumors."

Krei blinked. "Rumors? Of what?"

"Don't play dumb," Uncle James rebuked him, even though he really didn't understand what the problem was. "The fact you are around her all the time makes your relationship and contact conspicuous enough, but if people found out you went and did something like what you did will make it worse and people will question you two and just exactly how close you two are. Coupled with the fact that she's 16 years old _and_ your employee, things will look strange and worrisome, especially for you. You can't afford a scandal, no matter how much either of us like her."

Krei grimaced. "That hadn't crossed my mind at all."

And it hadn't. He had found himself entertained by her presence and enjoyed being around her, even admitting that she'd become a friend of sorts, despite her youth. She was also one of, if not his best employee. And that time at the police station had been funny and sort of spontaneous, and it hadn't even made him think a second to not help her out and not go there himself.

"Has there been any rumors?" he asked hesitantly. It wouldn't do well to ruin his image or to cause her any problems. He'd have to think again on how to handle himself…

"Nothing passed her department," his uncle revealed, but that already surprised him since he hadn't even thought that anything was being said. "But that's expected, if unfortunate. You _are_ practically a constant sight in her department, so her colleagues would have come to expect to see you and even begin to whisper amongst themselves. You're lucky enough they adore her though, and that it hasn't spread to the rest of the building and the business. The public also has no idea and we want to keep it that way, especially given Hiro's age."

"I understand," Krei nodded morosely, not really happy about this turn of events.

"Just be careful," Uncle James suggested more than warned, softening slightly. "Try not to be constantly by her side or…something. I'm sure you and I will be able to work something out in the future, have things look less strange. We'll figure something out."

"Yeah…"

Krei was still going to be disappointed at apparently having to distance himself from someone who he considered to be his only friend.

* * *

Hiro chewed on her pen, typing rapidly on the company computer she was assigned with and trying to finish the calculations.

"You have some deplorable habits," Krei's familiar voice said in amusement. "A tendency to chew on something when at work on something, and a messy habitat."

"My surroundings are a reflection of my soul. Chaotic genius," she declared dramatically, before grinning and whirling in her chair to face him. He was oddly at a polite distance away from her, which she mentally raised an eyebrow at. "Seriously though, I just can't be bothered. Plus, I end up cleaning after I'm done with the project."

"Which, apparently, according to you and your colleagues, you just begin a new mess for a new project."

Hiro shrugged, looking shameless. "True that. The chewing thing?" she shrugged again. "No idea. Anyway, what's up? Why are you here this time? And no, I'm not giving you another microbot or a demonstration."

He looked briefly disappointed before shaking himself out of it. "No, no, I was here for something else. I was actually just here to, um, invite you to accompany me through the convention again. I asked you before, but you might have forgotten in the face of your project. You have a bit of time before your showcase and you have to show off your project, but before that, you could walk with me and see about the other projects that are on display…"

"Oh! Right, right. That sounds interesting. It would be cool to actually go take a look around, see what others went to invent and make for everyone to see," Hiro mused. "Sure, why not? I'll meet you there. Tadashi and his friends are going to help me transport my microbots there, so afterwards, I'll meet you by the entrance or something?"

"Sounds about right," Krei nodded. "I'll meet you there. I'll call you to let you know when I'm there."

"Okay! Then tomorrow I'll come see you straight after I'm done setting up."

He gave her an awkward smile and then left her behind. She wondered what that was all about, considering he was acting weird and he usually stuck around for a bit.

"Huh. I'll just bug him about it tomorrow then."

Maybe he'll be normal by then anyway.

* * *

"You excited, Hiro?" Honey Lemon asked, though she was the one that was clearly excited.

Hiro was a mass of nerves. She gave everyone a shaky smile, continuing to pour the microbots into the containers along with the others.

"Geez, Hiro! How much of these did you make?" Freddy laughed.

"A lot. Now shut up and keep working," Go Go deadpanned.

"Why _do_ you need so much of them?" Wasabi asked, while Tadashi listened in enjoyment in the background.

Hiro had told Tadashi, so he knew much of what she'd planned, however he still didn't have a complete picture. It was something else to actually see it happening than to just know about the plans.

"You'll see," Hiro said playfully. "Hopefully, it'll be a good presentation…" A little bit of her worry leaked through.

"Alright, let's pack this up and head over to SFIT," Tadashi announced to everyone. "Hiro, you're going to meet with Mr. Krei, right?"

"Yeah," Hiro said absentmindedly. "He said to meet him at the front after I was done setting up."

"Still can't believe you know Alistair Krei," Wasabi said in admiration.

"Or that you work for him," Go Go smirked.

Hiro laughed lightly, rubbing the back of her head. "Ahaha, well you know, it's not too big a deal."

Freddy snorted. "Uh huh."

"We're just about done! Let's head out, guys," Tadashi reminded them, seeing that they were practically done packing up. "Hiro, you should call him to let him know."

"Okay!"

The group was soon on their way after she was done, and they were all joking around and having fun on the drive over. Hiro wasn't as reticent and shy as she usually was. It was nice though. They were Tadashi's friends, but she was kind of feeling like they were getting to be her friends too.

She didn't really have a whole lot of that.

Actually, just recently, if she could think of who she could count as a friend, only Krei came to mind. Which was strange and maybe pathetic, considering he was her boss.

"We're here!" Honey Lemon sing-songed as they stopped and parked at the back of the building, so they could slip in the containers into it. They split up into groups of two, taking a container each and transporting it to secluded corners of the convention.

"So we're going to take a look around too," Tadashi told her when they gathered back together. "You go on and meet your boss."

Hiro smiled widely and hugged him, before she turned and left him for the entrance. She didn't even need to call, seeing Krei leaning casually by the wall near the entrance and his secretary Carla next to him.

"Hello, Hiro," Carla spotted her first, smiling slightly. "Mr. Krei, Hiro has arrived."

"I have eyes, Carla," Krei huffed, rolling said eyes before he focused on Hiro and grinned, heading over and playfully ruffling her hair before he suddenly snatched his hand back and kind of tucked it behind himself. "Hey! So ready to look around?"

Hiro hid her confusion, but nodded enthusiastically. "On the way to you, I saw a bunch of things I'd like to take a closer look at."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Carla said in amusement before hustling them along. "We've got a tight schedule if we want to see a lot of the inventions before it's time for Hiro's Krei Tech showcase."

It wasn't bad and even actually awesome. For someone like an introvert and unwilling to socialize kind of person Hiro was, to be out and about right now and having fun was certainly a change from the usual for her, and was definitely bringing her more out of her shell than she had been. It was unexpected, but not unwelcome.

It still made her surprised to find that she was doing so and acting like so with Krei of all people, but that was another issue altogether.

The two of them shifted from display to display, quietly commenting with each other with the occasional input from Carla, who mostly followed them around and was just keeping an eye on them to make sure they didn't get up to any mischief together and cause some sort of chaos. With those two together, it was hard to tell when that would happen and what they'd end up doing. The two didn't know it, but it was largely known that the two of them became sort of troublemakers around the Krei Tech building when they were bored and ended up thinking up things to do, and/or started egging the other on. It was, however, nice to see Hiro interacting more and being a little more outgoing, so Carla and the rest supposed it wasn't too bad a problem.

"Sir, Hiro, I hate to interrupt, but Hiro is supposed to go on in a few minutes. We should head over so she can get on stage and get ready."

Krei and Hiro stopped what they were doing in surprise, but turned to each other.

"Ah, we should go then," Krei became excited and Hiro laughed.

"Okay, okay! Time for the demonstration finally, and you can see what these babies can do," Hiro held up a microbot and tossed into the air before catching it.

They headed towards the stage area, where they ran into Tadashi and the others, with Aunt Cassie and Mr. Alexander having joined them.

"Ready to go?" Mr. Alexander smiled gently at her.

Hiro's nerves were starting up now though and it was getting obvious. Krei ruffled her hair again.

"Don't worry," he said. "You'll be fine."

"Better than fine!" Tadashi said, looking at her reassuringly. "You're going to be great!"

A chorus of 'yeahs!' came from everyone and Hiro calmed a bit. Hiro shyly smiled at everyone before she left them to head to the stage. Once on it, she looked at the small crowd that had gathered, not confident anymore. But she caught a look from Tadashi, who gave her a thumbs up and she felt herself at least straighten up. Strangely, she found herself looking to Krei, who gave her a soft smile and a nod, and confidence was rushing into her.

"This is a microbot."

Started 2/11/17 – Completed 2/20/17


End file.
